Running To Escape: A Sam & JR Zombie Thriller

by Schobernd, Robert

  They woke early the following morning and drove to Marion to ransack more houses for food and other supplies. Exiting the third house they’d visited, they encountered a woman running down the middle of the street chased by a single zombie. Sam said, “Heel Smokey.” Smokey obeyed but growled in a subdued tone. The redhead was panting and stopped with her elbows on her knees trying to get her breath. Her jeans and flannel shirt appeared a bit too large for her slender frame. The zombie was maybe forty feet behind her and gradually closing the distance. It wasn’t fast but lumbered along steadily. Sam and JR hurried across the small lawn to stand at the edge of the street.

  The redhead glanced behind her, then chugged ahead. She glanced to the right and saw Sam and JR with guns drawn and aimed. She turned toward them, then heard two gunshots so close together they sounded as one. She stopped, turned and smiled at seeing the zombie was no longer a threat. Still breathing deeply, she approached. “Thank you, whoever you are. I thought it was going to get me. I couldn’t run any further. I’m totally winded” Another zombie several hundred feet away approached them slowly. The redhead followed their gaze. “That one broke into the house I was in this morning and chased me. I outran him when I was fresh. Then the other one saw me and ran me into the ground. I need to sit before I crash.” She plopped on the grass at the road’s edge near her saviors and breathed deeply.

  Sam said, “Talk to her. I’ll tap the next bag of bones when it gets closer.” He glanced all around for safety. They were alone.

  JR handed the woman a bottle of water from her backpack, and she gulped it between deep breaths. “I’m Mona Hendrich. I drove up from Dixon, I don’t know when, at least many days ago. Lost track of days. Going to cross the border into Canada at the crossing at Eureka. Ran out of gas. Here.” They both jumped as Sam put the lone zombie down with a solitary shot. He slowly turned again and surveyed the area around them. Mona was calmed, and JR helped her stand. JR said, “Walk with us. We’re pilfering houses for food. Join us until you feel better.”

  “Thank you. I’m hungry. Hopefully there’ll be something I can snack on. I ran out of food this morning.”

  Outside the house’s front door, JR took a shooting position six feet away as Sam kicked the locked door open. He glanced around the living room before he, JR and Smokey moved in unison to clear each room and ensure no zombies were lurking.

  Mona entered the house behind them, and Sam said, “Tell us who Mona Hendrich is and what you want to do now.”

  “Well, I’m thirty-three and widowed. I was a registered nurse in charge of the emergency room at Community Hospital in Dixon. My husband Gordon was a salesman at a metal fabricating company.

  “Gordon turned into a zombie before I left home. I guess over two weeks ago. A neighbor put him and two others that attacked him down before he and his family left to cross the border. They didn’t have room for me, so I was left alone. Gordon was positive the authorities would stop the zombies, but, of course, they haven’t. Everyone in our neighborhood left days before that. When I accepted Gordon’s loss, I set out to cross the border on my own and ask for asylum. The car needed gas when I got here, but there’s nowhere to buy any with everything closed. When my car died, I stayed in it a couple days. When I ran out of food I found a house that was unlocked, went in and locked the doors. I’ve been eating dry cereal and canned foods cold. When the food ran out, I moved down the street to another house where there was food and clothing that almost fit.”

  JR handed Mona a bag of potato chips, Oreos, a bag of cashews, and a bottle of water she found in a small pantry.

  “Thank you,” Mona said as she tore open the chips and cookies.

  JR felt compassion for the woman’s plight and understood fully how she felt.

  Mona continued, “This morning, that last zombie beat the door down and chased me out of the house I’d taken refuge in. I don’t like guns and didn’t have one. If it wasn’t for you, they would have gotten me. I couldn’t run any further. Thank you. You saved my life.”

  Sam and JR were finished rummaging the kitchen and stood listening. He said, “So you’ve been hiding for almost two weeks?” He loaded their plunder in two medium size suitcases JR found in a bedroom closet.

  Mona nodded and looked at the floor. “I found clothing that almost fit and changed several times. I slept in stranger’s beds and stole their food.” She looked up defiantly. “And I’d do it again to survive.”

  JR put her hand on Mona’s shoulder. “So would we.” She laughed raucously. “In fact, that’s what we’re doing right now.”

  Sam spoke, “You can’t go to Canada; the border’s closed and they’re shooting anyone who tries to enter between official crossing sites. Unless the Canadians have been overrun like we have, of course. Unfortunately, you’re on your own with nowhere to go.”

  While Mona hung her head in despair and cried, JR and Sam stepped away. “Would you be okay . . . JR hesitated, “with taking Mona with us? We can’t just abandon her, or she’ll be a zombie or starved and dead before a week is out.”

  Sam looked down and exhaled loudly. “I don’t know. Think this through first; our cabin is cramped as is with the two of us. Will you get jealous if we brush against each other or if we joke around like you and I do? Are you okay with having another attractive, shapely woman in close quarters? And I’m not saying that because there’s some chance I’d cheat on you; I won’t. But can you handle our closeness on your end?” Redness rose in JR’s cheeks as her anger built along with a frown. “I see you’re getting upset just thinking about this, but it’s about your reaction to her, not mine. Before you say things you’ll later regret, go outside alone and think this through.”

  JR stared harshly at Sam, then at Mona. She spun around and stormed out the front door; the house shook as the door slammed violently behind her then bounced open. Smokey barked then ran behind his mistress.

  Sam exhaled loudly. “Well, that went over like a ripe beer fart at a Baptist tent revival.” There was silence for pregnant minutes as the pair avoided looking at each other.

  “Sam,” Mona spoke from across the room, “I couldn’t help hearing everything you said. Are you attracted to me?”

  “You are attractive, but no, I’m not personally drawn to you. I love JR. I just don’t want a relationship between the two of you to develop like two cats with their tails tied together before they’re thrown across a clothesline to fight to the death. JR is hot-tempered, and I want this settled up front.”

  “I don’t want to come between you two. I’ll leave.”

  “That may not be necessary. Calm down and give JR time to hash it out. She’s a good person but temperamental as hell. Give her time.”

  Mona shook her head as she quietly closed the door behind her.

  Sam followed her out shaking his head. “Women.”

  JR stood leaned against an old oak with her left knee bent and the foot against the trunk as she faced across the street. She heard movement and glanced to her left as her right hand palmed her handgun, then she stood on both feet. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she focused on Mona hurriedly slinking away with her head bowed.

  JR spoke loudly, “Mona, stop!”

  Mona ignored her.

  “GODDAMN IT, Mona STOP! We need to talk.” Smokey stood at full attention.

  Sam sat on the porch step and grinned knowingly as he watched, listened, and stood guard.

  JR raced to Mona, stepped past her, turned, and stood face to face a foot apart. Calmly, almost apologetically JR said, “We need to talk.” She took Mona’s hand. “I can be a selfish bitch at times; I love Sam. That’s why I reacted badly when he made me deal with my feeling out in the open. He knows me well enough to know my temper would eventually reject you if it was allowed to fester on its own. That’s how I am. By addressing it up front and dealing with it now, I’m forced to see how childish I acted. The worst part is I didn’t immediately give Sam the trust and love he deserves. Please come with us. We’
ll work it out. You’ll need to learn to shoot even if you don’t like guns; it’s the new law of the land. Later if you want to leave, you’ll be able to defend yourself and have a chance of existing on your own.”

  Mona took JR’s other hand in hers. “I’m not a cheap tart. I’ll not come between you and Sam. I promise. It’s obvious you love each other, and I respect that.”

  No more was said, and Sam let it drop as he left the women alone.

  Sam walked down the street, then drove the truck to park in the driveway. They loaded the booty from the house they’d just ransacked in with their previous haul.

  The trio walked to the next house to search it. It was locked, so Sam kicked the door open while JR provided backup. Thinking ahead, JR addressed Mona, “Until we make other arrangements, you’ll be sleeping on the floor. Look for heavy, thick comforters and blankets to make a thick pallet to sleep on. And you’ll need a pillow too.”

  They finished foraging that block and half the next one before quitting for the day. Mona stopped them at the truck. “I brough some things with me. Could we go get them out of my car? I think I know about where it is. I have three suitcases of clothing and bags of medicine and medical supplies. I was one of the last to leave the hospital before it closed after the others left. On the last day, the hospital administrator told us to take whatever we wanted that we could use. By then it was obvious we’d be overrun by the undead. I have a backpack of equipment and bandages and another full of prescription medications.”

  Sam observed, “You’re the one thing we don’t have, a doctor in the house.”

  Mona smiled. “Yes, I’m sure my skills will be in some degree of demand.”

  When their new items were stowed at the cabin or the shed, JR gave Mona the grand tour of her new home. “As you can see the space is small and rather cramped, but we’ll learn to live with each other. In these trying times people have to depend on each other and make concessions.”

  Sam butted in, “We’ll need to find pajamas to run around in before bedtime instead of running naked like we have been.”

  Mona snickered, “Either that or warn me so I can close my eyes or turn my head. Speaking of bed, that’s a lovely, old antique. I especially like the brass trim.”

  “I guess I don’t appreciate the old things as much as some people do. My mom never wanted old stuff to decorate with,” JR said.

  “Me neither,” Sam said, “When something got too old or damaged my mom threw it out and bought a new piece. In fact, I believe she threw things out only to justify buying something new to replace them”

  Mona slumped as she replied, “My house was furnished in antiques of all sorts; furniture, glassware, pottery and many nicknacks. I miss them. Each one had a story relating to where Gordon and I found it, the haggling to reach a price, and its origin if the seller knew it . . . now those thing and my husband are all gone and I’m left with just memories of a very good life. All because of these zombie monsters.”

  JR added, “That’s what all of us have, nothing but memories of a great past. Now it’s time to focus on our future and how we’re going to survive.”

  Smokey ambled over to Mona and nuzzled her hand until she stroked his fur.

  Mona sat in a rocker, and JR knelt beside her. “Mona, we understand fully. I hope I didn’t sound harsh; but everyone lost the people and things that were important to them because of the zombies. Survival now depends on forging ahead and making a life for ourselves under the circumstances we are left with.

  “We don’t see nearly as many zombies in this area as when we first arrived. We, and others, have thinned them out to where we seldom see them. The biggest danger now is other humans who steal and murder. Recently four men tried to rape me; they’re all dead. That type of danger is why you need to learn to shoot a gun and prepare yourself to carry one at all times. And most importantly be prepared to use it to defend yourself even if the situation evolves to killing another person.”

  “That will be a large hurdle for me. I was the head Emergency Room nurse and saw firsthand what gunshots do to human flesh. Now I’m expected to reverse deep convictions in hopes of living safely.”

  “You’ll have to if you want to survive.” JR stood, pointed, and changed the topic. “Over there is where Sam’s going to install cabinets to build a proper kitchen.” She moved her arm. “And there is where your bed will be. We’ll rig blankets or sheets around it to give you some privacy. You’ll need a chest of drawers to store your clothing too. We can pilfer another one from the same house we took ours from. It had good quality furnishings and matching sets in the other bedrooms.

  “We rise early, work all day, and go to bed early. Sam has talked about cutting trees and splitting firewood to last through the winter. That’s going to be a big job, and I plan to help carry and stack the wood. Next spring if we still plan to stay here, we’ll put in a garden, then can the produce in late summer and early fall when it’s ripe. Soon the canned foods we’ve gathered will be used and there won’t be any to replace it. What there is in other’s homes will freeze this winter and be ruined. So it’s up to us to provide those foods we used to buy at the grocery stores. Sam built that closet in the corner to hold miscellaneous extras, but I think he’s going to need to build another just to store the canned goods we’ve collected. They’ll have to be kept inside where there’s heat through the winter months or we’ll lose them. And we can’t afford that. In fact, I’m in favor of gathering even more food while it’s available.”

  Sam spoke. “Instead of another closet with a door, how about we find a heavy duty shelf unit to store the canned goods, so they’re exposed to the temperature of the main room. I don’t know if the outside wall of the closet will remain above freezing in the coldest weather with being enclosed.”

  JR thought for long moments, then nodded her agreement.

  Chapter V

  Running No More

  The next morning, Sam said, “We need an outhouse, can’t keep running into the woods every time we need to take a dump, or we’ll freeze our tushes off this winter.”

  “And,” JR added, “don’t forget a bed for Mona. She can’t continue to sleep on a pile of blankets on the floor. That store where we got our mattress had some nice twin size beds. And while we’re out lets search for that shelf unit for the indoor food storage?”

  “Okay. And we’ll get two more for the storage shed. It’s crowed because everything is piled on the floor then on top of that.”

  After eating breakfast, they drove to Kalispell to the home improvement warehouse they’d visited before. While Sam loaded lumber for two new small projects onto a metal cart, the women took a cart and gathered hardware, nails, and screws per Sam’s list.

  JR left her rifle near where Sam was sorting lumber and told him they’d take their materials to the truck, then back it and the trailer inside to where he was sorting through the stacks of well picked over lumber.

  Approaching the truck, the women stopped talking as Smokey slinked and growled. JR and Mona halted when two men stood and rushed from behind a green pickup with handguns pointed at them. Another man and a woman scurried from hiding and passed them heading for the open overhead door where Sam sorted lumber inside. JR knelt beside Smokey and whispered, “Go to Sam, run to Sam.” She stood and moved between the gunmen and Smokey as he raced away. She turned sideways, palmed her handgun in the holster, pulled the barrel away from her leg, and pulled the trigger. twice After the gun blasts, she turned and raised both hands with open palms toward the gunmen. One of the gunmen cursed her as he lunged forward and threw a hard punch to JR’s stomach. She doubled over and dropped to her hands and knees and retched on the asphalt parking lot. As she gasped and attempted to breath, he took her handgun, then grabbed her hair and dragged her toward the green pickup. The other gunman pushed Mona ahead of him to the truck. Both women’s hands were secured behind them with plastic cable ties before they were forced into the back of the crew cab truck. The lead gunman turne
d and fired two shots at Sam’s truck’s front left tire. JR’s hopes deflated along with the air gushing from the ruined tire. At least she’d been able to warn Sam of the danger closing in on him.

  The man and woman heading toward Sam were surprised by JR’s gunshot behind them and failed to react to Smokey flashing past them.

  Sam was startled by the gunshot, it meant trouble had found them once again. He dropped the 1” X 12” board he held and ran ten feet to his and JR’s rifles. Smokey stopped beside him as Sam heard two more shots in the distance. More shots were fired before bullets hit the stacked lumber beside him. Kneeling behind the cart, he aimed at the first person he saw pointing a gun toward him. From a hundred feet he put two bullets in a man’s chest. A dark haired woman screamed, then turned and ran, weaving and bobbing from side to side as she sprinted away through the open doorway. Sam’s next bullet hit her high on her left thigh and she stumbled, fell, and rolled to the right out of sight. Sam ran toward the front of the building with Smokey at his heels.

  The green Chevy’s driver stayed behind the truck’s cab and yelled at Sam standing inside the building behind the door frame. “I’m Riley Hooper. You killed my brothers and you’re gonna die for that. I’ve got your women and if you want em come and get em. But don’t wait too long or me and my friends will fuck em to death.”

  The green Chevy pickup started with a roar and smoked the rear tires to where the wounded woman hobbled away from behind a lone parked car. The trucks passenger door opened, and she clambered inside as the truck sped away across the huge parking acreage.

  Sam followed them with the rifle scope but was afraid of hitting his women with a ricochet. All he could do was follow them and hope for the best.

  Sam and Smokey moved outside the warehouse door. They ran to the truck to give chase until Sam saw his truck’s front tire was flat. He turned helplessly and watched the green truck speed away with JR and Mona inside. In hindsight he realized he should have shot the tires on the green truck instead of letting it get away. In frustration, Sam raised his right fist and cursed Riley Hooper. Hooper left no doubt of what was instore for JR and Mona. Riley Hooper’s fate was sealed; he and all the people with him were going to die. There would be no quarter given. Hooper and his friends would be treated exactly like his brothers and their cronies were.