“You need your strength,” he said, reading her expression. “Just be happy that decomp has just begun. Trust me. The smell will be much worse by tomorrow. Try to eat and refuel. Okay?”
Ellie nodded, taking a stale cracker from the box. Her stomach clenched.
“I’m going to pack up what food I can find.” He turned and left her on the couch. Ellie forced herself to chew. She was having a hard time getting herself to swallow the sawdust like substance. Maybe she needed more water. Reaching for the cup, Ellie noticed the handset to a cordless phone sticking out from beneath an old clothing catalog. She picked it up and pressed “talk”. To her dismay, the phone was dead. Not that she really expected otherwise. But she figured that she’d give it a shot anyhow. Again, she thought of her parents and her sister. She wondered if they were okay. She prayed that they were. If only there was a way she could get a hold of them to make sure. Maybe once they reached the Sheriff’s station, she’d be able to. She hoped that they’d have a more secure phone line she could use. She prayed the virus hadn’t spread to Florida. With the speed that it’d been spreading on the West Coast, she doubted they were untouched. The last she’d heard it’d been reported globally, but she tried to remain positive. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they appeared. It was the only thing she could do to remain somewhat sane.
Looking around, Ellie wondered where the bathroom was. The only door, besides the front door, and the sliding glass door, was to the bedroom. “Is there a bathroom?” she asked.
Mike had every cupboard open in the kitchen and was now rummaging through the drawers. “In the bedroom.”
“Oh,” she said, eying the closed door again.
“You can always go outside. No one’s around.”
Ellie frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the bathroom outdoors. She’d only do that as a last resort. It was the one thing she liked the least about camping. Not that there was much she liked about camping to begin with.
Covering her nose with her hand, Ellie got up from the couch and headed for the bedroom. Putting her hand on the knob, she grasped the hard metal and felt the coolness pressed against her palm. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her nerves before entering. I can do this.
She twisted the knob and carefully opened the door. Just head for the bathroom, she told herself. Don’t look at the body. Don’t look at the bed. Head straight for the bathroom.
Not taking her own advice, her eyes raked the room for the dead man. The bitter scent of death hit her hard, penetrating the hand she was using to cover her nose. Ellie coughed at the sour smell. It burned the back of her throat. The blinds were drawn and the room was darker and cooler than the living room and kitchen. Ellie stared at the empty bed with the rumpled beige sheets. No body. She didn’t know why she expected to see the man lying in bed as if he’d died in his sleep. She scanned the room. A photo in a silver frame on a bedside table caught her attention. Ellie wandered over to the bed and picked up the frame. A silver haired man and a white haired woman were smiling back at her. He had his arm around her. They both looked happy. There was a brilliant orange sunset lighting up beautiful rock formations in the distance. Ellie recognized the location. The photo had been taken in Red Rock Canyon. She’d been there once before. She and her boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, had done some hiking there a few years back. Not long after that trip, they’d broken up.
Setting the photo down, Ellie frowned. Seeing the picture had personalized the dead man. There was another photo on the other side of the bed in a matching silver frame. It looked like a wedding photo. Ellie walked around the bed to get a better look, and then stopped. The man from the photo was lying on the floor, face down, in a white T-shirt and blue checkered boxers. Her eyes clouded with tears.
“You okay?”
Ellie’s heart skipped a beat, not expecting Mike to enter the room.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I think I’ve scavenged as much as I can. Ready to go?”
It took Ellie a moment to find her voice. “Um, yeah. I just need to use the restroom.” She crossed the bedroom, walking past Mike without making eye contact, and entered the bathroom wondering what had happened to the man’s wife.
***
Once the commotion settled and all was quiet, Bill laid his son back down on the bench. He buckled the boy in to keep him from accidentally rolling off. While waiting for the infected to leave, Bill had explored all of the nooks and crannies of the ambulance. To his relief, he’d come across a stash of bottled water. He tried to rehydrate Benjamin by dripping a little bit of water into his mouth. He’d worried about him choking, but to his relief, he didn’t. He didn’t do anything. Bill hoped that the water would make a difference in Benjamin’s condition. The ambulance was equipped with emergency supplies, including IVs, but Bill was afraid to try to administer one. He didn’t have a clue as to where to begin. The only medical knowledge he had was from watching “Scrubs” on TV.
Climbing into the passenger seat of the ambulance, Bill looked out the windshield and the side windows to see if the infected were still around. There was no sign of them. He sat there for a few minutes studying the dash, the keys were still in the ignition, and then the pile up of cars, scattered around them on the freeway. If he stayed as far to the right lane as possible, he might just be able to pass the mess blocking the road. The trick would be getting this ambulance running. Bill had once been told that ambulance drivers kept the engine running because they were diesels and it was more fuel economical. He also knew that diesel engines took longer to warm up. He was concerned because the engine was off, but the lights were on. Why wasn’t the ambulance running? Did it run out of gas? Did the battery die? No, the lights wouldn’t be working if the battery died. Or at least, he didn’t think so.
Feeling that he’d waited long enough, and if the infected were still there, he’d have noticed them by now, Bill reached over the driver that was hunkered down over the steering wheel. He pulled the handle on the driver’s side door and then pushed it open. Sitting back down in the passenger seat, Bill turned, facing the dead ambulance driver, and lifted his good leg. He placed the leather sole of his boot to the corpse’s shoulder and gave it a hard shove, knocking the body over. He pushed again, this time placing his foot a little lower, until the body completely dislodged itself and tumbled onto the asphalt.
“I’m sorry,” Bill said, trying to move the body just enough to close the door. He felt remorse for the guy, but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do. The man was already gone. “I’m sure you were a good man.”
Bill turned the key in the ignition. It took a few tries before the engine roared to life.
Chapter 19
Wandering down the street, Amanda felt lost. Everything was silent. No familiar sounds of traffic or people. Every once in a while she’d hear a bird or two, but even they were abnormally quiet. No matter which way she walked, cars were left abandoned in the streets. From time to time, she’d come across another dead body. Some were in the street, some were on the sidewalks, or trapped within the vehicles. She tried not to look too closely at them. She stared just long enough to make sure they weren’t alive. She still worried about being attacked by an infected person, and tried her best to keep a safe distance from any and all bodies. So far nothing notable had happened.
If there is anyone else alive… Again, Amanda wondered if she was the last person on Earth. What if all of the buildings were filled with dead people? All of the stores… the restaurants…. the apartments… what if?
Deep in thought, pondering the possibility of being the last person on Earth, from the corner of her eye, Amanda she saw something move in a window above a café. She stopped walking and stared at the window on the second floor. It was open. And there were beige chiffon curtains covering it. A breeze kicked up, ruffling the light material.
Amanda sighed. The movement had been caused by the wind. She decided to walk up to the door of the café located below the window, and give
it a try. She yanked on the handle. The door didn’t budge. She peered through the dark windows. The café was empty and locked up, just as all of the other shops and buildings had been. There were no lights on. She shook the handle harder, jiggling it. Still nothing. Not that she really expected something to happen, but she tried anyhow.
Backing up from the building, she took one last upwards glance at the open window. A face was staring back at her. Amanda blinked hard. Was she seeing things? No. She wasn’t. The face was still there. A girl, she guessed to be no older than fourteen, with long dark hair, large brown eyes, set in a round face, stared back at her.
Amanda waved. The girl, slow to respond, shyly waved back.
“My name is Amanda.”
The girl didn’t respond. She just continued to stare. Amanda wondered if she couldn’t hear her. Or maybe the girl didn’t speak English. Being so close to the border of Mexico, many people spoke Spanish. “Me llamo, Amanda.”
Still no response.
“I need to find a phone,” Amanda explained, hoping the girl wasn’t deaf. She didn’t know sign language. “Do you have a phone?”
The girl didn’t answer, but looked over her shoulder. Amanda thought she looked worried.
“I’m Amanda,” she repeated, in case the girl hadn’t heard her the first time. “What’s your name?”
The girl nervously bit her bottom lip.
“It’s okay,” Amanda said. “I’m nice. I just need to find a phone, so I can call a friend for a ride home.”
“Jennifer,” the girl said. “Jenny.”
“Hi Jenny. Do you have a phone I can use?”
Jenny shook her head.
“Do your parents?”
Jenny looked over her shoulder again and then returned her attention back to Amanda. “The phone doesn’t work. No electricity.”
“Oh,” Amanda said. “Do your parents have a car? Do you think they could drive me home?”
“Don’t you know?” Jenny shook her head while looking appalled by Amanda’s lack of knowledge. “The roads are blocked. Accidents.”
“All roads?”
“That’s what the news said last night before the electricity went out. They said not to drive because of all the accidents. And they put up road blocks everywhere too. There’s nowhere to go.”
“Oh, um…” Amanda didn’t know how to respond. It made perfect sense though. Cars were left abandoned everywhere. Heck, she’d abandoned her own car on the freeway yesterday evening when trying to get Jasper to the hospital. Even if the phone lines were up, and she could get ahold of someone, would they be able to come get her? It was doubtful.
“I should probably go now,” the girl said. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Wait!” Amanda was desperate. The girl was the only person she’d seen alive since last night. She didn’t want her to go. “Please, um, do you have any shoes I can borrow?” She looked down at her feet. “I’ve had a really rough night. And it looks like I may have to walk home.”
The girl shook her head. “My shoes won’t fit you. And my Mom would be mad if I took hers.”
“Please,” Amanda said. “Don’t go. Um, ask your Mom for me…”
“No. I’ll get in trouble.”
“Please, I beg of you. Or see if I can come in and rest for a little bit.”
“I can’t. You might be sick.”
“But I’m not.” Amanda could feel her eyes begin to cloud up with tears. She didn’t know where to go next. She’d just have to continue walking. “Let me talk to your mom. Please.”
Just then, she heard a crash coming from across the street and down a little ways. It sounded like someone knocking over metal trashcans. Amanda could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She then heard men’s voices laughing and cat calling. There was another loud crash. This time it sounded like glass shattering.
“Please,” Amanda said, feeling frightened. She now wished she could go back to believing she was the last person left alive. “Let me in.”
The girl shook her head. “You might be contagious.”
“You can’t just leave me out here!”
The sound of a car alarm went off causing Amanda’s heart to skip a beat. Then there was whooping and laughter. It was growing louder. Whoever they were, they were getting closer. And it sounded like they were up to no good. Unfortunately, Amanda had had run-ins with men like that in the past. Not a good situation.
Amanda looked back up at the window. It slammed closed and the girl was gone.
There was another loud crashing sound and another car alarm going off. Amanda ducked down on the sidewalk behind the car nearest her, a newer model, fire-red mustang. She pressed her cheek to the door and stayed put. She could hear the men’s jeering getting louder. Their feet pounded on the pavement. They were running in her direction. She hoped they hadn’t seen her.
Getting down on all fours, she peeked under the car. She could see the men’s feet in the street. They had stopped running and were on the other side of the car. Amanda held still. She worried that she’d somehow do something to draw their attention to her.
“Hey! Look at this place!” a man’s voiced called out from somewhere farther away.
“What is it?” asked one of the men near her.
Amanda cringed. One of the three sets of feet, wandered closer to the front end of the car. Amanda quickly moved to the rear of the car and stayed in a crouching position.
“Hey homey, let’s go see what he’s got.”
“Wait!” the man closest to her said. “Gotta do somethin’ first.” His feet turned and took a few steps in her direction. He was now nearing the rear of the car where Amanda was hiding. Amanda kept watching his feet, and then, on all fours, she crawled from the rear of the car, back up onto the sidewalk, and to the side of it. Little pebbles from the asphalt had dug into the palms of her hands, stinging her flesh. She kept her eyes on the set of feet closest to her. When the feet stopped moving, she stopped crawling, and held her breath.
Crash! The splintering sound of glass penetrated her ears as the man bashed in the rear windshield with a baseball bat. Crash! Crash! The alarm went off, joining the other car alarms in an array of honking. The man took another swing. Crash!
Amanda worried that the man would round the car at any moment to bash in the side windows and would find her. She didn’t want her head to be next on the gangster’s list of things to bash. She thought about sliding under the car to hide, but since she was on the sidewalk now, the curb blocked her from being able to get underneath. And if she crawled around to the front of the car, the other men would see her. There was nowhere for her to go. She could make a run for it. But would they chase after her? They’d surely catch her since she was at a disadvantage being barefoot.
Crash! The man was bashing in the tail lights when he unexpectedly bellowed out in pain. Then another sound accompanied his cries. Amanda recognized the snarls of an infected person. The hoodlum landed on the ground, kicking, and screaming. His head turned to the side, facing her. The infected was a bald, slender man wearing a grey T-shirt, and a tattered pair of Levis. He was on top of the hoodlum, too busy ravaging his prey to notice her. Amanda froze, watching the gangster being mauled. Blood pooled on the pavement. The gangster’s so called friends took off running in the opposite direction.
“Hey!” Amanda heard a girl call out. She looked for the source of the voice. It was Jenny. She was outside, standing at the street corner, near the edge of the building, beckoning for her to follow. Amanda eyed the infected man still brutally ripping the gangster to shreds. In order for her to do what Jenny wanted, she’d need to run past him.
Jenny furiously waved her arms in a desperate attempt to get Amanda’s attention. The gangster finally stopped struggling and his screams died out. Amanda worried that she’d waited too long. She wasted her opportunity to run past the infected, unseen. What would stop him from attacking her next?
Without thinking twice, Amanda
made a snap decision, and sprang to her feet. She kept her eyes on Jenny. Jenny rounded the building and disappeared from sight. The infected man lifted his head as Amanda ran past and snarled. She kept her eyes on where she’d last seen Jenny and hoped that she’d be led to safety.
Making a sharp left, Amanda headed down a narrow alley. Jenny was on the other side of a tall, chain link fence with barbed wire looped round the top.
“Hurry!” Jenny shrieked.
Amanda stepped on something sharp and screamed. Hot, searing pain bolted up her leg from the wound. She reached down and yanked out a shard of glass. Snarls came from behind her as she stumbled through the gate. Jenny grabbed her arm, propelling her out of the way, slammed the gate shut, and latched it.
The infected smashed his body into the chain-link. His puffy distorted face, covered in fresh blood, pushed into the wire mesh. Blood stained teeth bit at them with fierce determination. His golden eyes narrowed, focusing on the two girls.
“Come on,” Jenny said, taking Amanda’s hand. “I don’t know how long that’ll hold him.”
Amanda let Jenny guide her around the back of the building, while constantly looking over her shoulder, expecting the gate to give way. Jenny opened a door and ushered Amanda into the dark building. She quickly turned the deadbolt, locking the heavy door behind them. The room was dark and Amanda couldn’t see anything. She was afraid to move.
“This way,” she heard Jenny say, then felt a tug on her sleeve. She moved through the dark, letting Jenny guide her. When the door opened, on the other side of the room, light trickled in from down a hall. Amanda looked back behind her. She could make out boxes and shelves. She’d been in a storage room behind the café. “Stay away from the windows. No need to draw attention.”
Amanda did as Jenny instructed. They quickly walked past a kitchen, bypassed the café, and headed to the right side of the building. She followed Jenny up a narrow staircase that led to the apartments above the café.
Fatal Reaction, The Beginning Page 15