by Young, D. M.
Adam thought about this. “The thing is, with the phone lines like they are, I wonder how much the world outside of town knows about what’s going on. Maybe we should just get out completely and try to find some help.”
Gracie spoke up, “What if it’s not just here. What if it’s happening everywhere?”
“That should be easy enough to figure out,” Booger pointed to the remote control on the coffee table. “Turn on the TV and see what they’re saying. There was nothing on the news last night, but maybe they know something now.”
Rose picked up the remote and turned it to their local channel as Adam pulled his cell phone out thinking he would check online to see what people were saying. Nothing would load, and his phone was down to twenty percent. He shut it off and put it back in his pocket as the commercials ended. On the television screen, the morning newscast began.
They watched as a bright red banner flashed across the screen, “Breaking News!” A serious looking anchor began speaking, “Reports are coming in of rioting in the small town of Hollow Springs. Sources tell us that the violence broke out at the regional hospital last night. Police responded and were attacked. We were unable to confirm whether this attack was related to the shooting of a five-year-old girl and her mother by sheriff’s deputies earlier in the day. We’ve reached out to local authorities, but, as of this report, they have not responded. We have a crew on the way, and we will be updating you throughout the morning as new information becomes available.”
Booger muted the television as the news anchor moved on to the next story. “So, it seems like it is just our little town.”
Gracie seemed to consider this for a moment. “Then let’s just leave. My grandmother lives outside of Memphis. That’s a long ways from here. We’d be safe there.”
Adam, reached over and patted her hand, “I’m don’t think that’s a good idea. Technically, you’re still in the care of the state, and we’ll need to be close by when they get this thing under control.”
Rose suggested an alternative, “Well, out of state is one thing, but Edward and I have a daughter who lives down in the flatlands. It’s a good distance away from here, but it’s a lot closer than Memphis.”
Booger finished his last drink of coffee and sat the cup on the end table. “Problem will be getting there. My old Jeep will make it to the cabin or the next town, but I wouldn’t trust it to make a long trip like that. We could end up stranded out there in the middle of nowhere.”
Edward finally spoke, “That cabin, could we defend it if we had to? You say it’s up on a hill and a little out of the way. Maybe it doesn’t have to be way out of town.”
“I think so,” Booger said, “I mean, it’s just an old hunting cabin. The woman who owns it has fixed it up some, but it’s not some modern mansion with glass everywhere. It’s pretty sturdy.”
Edward considered this for a moment. “Here’s the thing. Adam wants to try and get help, but, according to the news, they already know something is going on. Plus, there’s a lot of road to cover before we would reach the next town, and cell reception drops to nothing just outside of the town. We won’t be the only ones trying to leave, and some of them may already be sick. Y’all know how the roads back up on holiday weekends. This will probably be similar. If the Jeep breaks down or the roads are blocked, we could find ourselves stranded out there with those things. I still think the cabin is our best bet.”
Booger made his way to the sink to wash his cup, “Makes sense to me. There’s that truck stop up there right before you get to the county road that takes you up the mountain. That place has just about everything. We can grab enough supplies to last us a few days.”
Booger looked at the others. No one seemed thrilled about the idea, but they didn’t argue.
CHAPTER 20
Ray grabbed the suitcase and walked to the kitchen door. He was anxious to get moving, but the others seemed to be taking their sweet time. The early morning sunlight was streaming through the window over the sink, and the brightly lit room was doing nothing for his headache. The fog had all but disappeared in the last hour. In the last five minutes, Ray had heard a half a dozen cars drive past the house. That was a lot of traffic for a little street like this. He wondered how many others were on their way out of town.
Alicia walked into the kitchen, a small bag slung over her shoulder and the shotgun in her right hand. She sat the gun on the floor and grabbed a drink from the fridge. “You want one?” she asked holding a can of Dr. Pepper out toward him.
“Don’t suppose you have a beer in there?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes. Always judging. No wonder they’d divorced. She never could take a joke. Ray changed the subject as he took the Dr. Pepper. “The others about ready to go?”
“Yeah, they’ll be here in a second. Have you looked outside to see if it’s clear yet?” she asked moving toward the kitchen door.
Ray popped the top and took a drink of the soda. “I’ve been checking out the window. The fog’s about gone. The traffic is picking up out there, though. If we don’t get moving soon, the roads will be jammed up closer to the highway.”
As if he’d summoned them, Melissa and Matt joined them in the kitchen. They had decided to take two vehicles, and they had packed a few snacks for each vehicle. Matt picked up one small cooler, and Melissa grabbed the other. Alicia planned to follow them out of town. If either vehicle had problems, they could all pile in the other and keep going.
Highway 47 ran all the way through town, becoming Main Street, within the city limits. There was a truck stop to the north of town, toward the lake, where it crossed Highway 62. That was the chokepoint. If traffic was going to back up, it would happen there. The only way to avoid the intersection would be to drive back through town past the hospital. After last night, that wasn’t an option. If they could make it through the intersection and to the truck stop, they could stop for gas and head north from there.
Ray grabbed the door handle, “You guys ready to go?”
They all nodded, and he pulled the door open. They stepped out into the morning sun. Matt’s car was still parked in Clara’s driveway, and Melissa handed the cooler off to Alicia as she made her way toward it. Then they were on their way.
As Alicia drove, Ray scanned the houses on each side. His nerves were raw this morning, and being trapped in the car was pure torture. They passed an older brick house where a man was loading bags into a car. Some of the other driveways were already empty. Occasionally, he saw a face behind a window. A few people stood on their porches, smoking or drinking coffee as if nothing at all had happened. He wondered if they even knew.
As they rounded the curve toward the intersection with Main Street, Ray saw a car in the road. The bumper was missing. Across the street, he saw a truck, had crashed into the back of a van. The car was empty, as far as he could tell, but he could see movement in the truck. Ray watched as another vehicle pulled over to check on the driver. A woman stepped out, took a few steps towards the wreck, and froze. She looked around quickly, seeming unsure of what to do. A hand reached out of the truck’s window toward her, and she turned around, got back into her car, and pulled away.
Alicia saw it, too. “Did you see that? I think it’s one of them.”
Ray glanced over, “Judging by that woman’s reaction, I’d say you’re right.”
In front of them, Matt’s car paused a little longer than necessary at the stop sign. Ray guessed they had seen it, too. He worried for a moment that Matt would stop to check it out, but, instead, Matt made a left onto Main Street and kept going. Alicia and Ray followed.
Ray flipped on the radio to see if there was any news. After a few moments, he found a local station talking about the situation. According to the DJ, the station had been in touch with the mayor of Hollow Springs. He had declared a state of emergency due to an outbreak of violence and rioting. He asked that all residents stay indoors until further notice. All city and county offices located within the city limits would be closed unt
il the situation was contained. The hospital was also closed. If an emergency developed, residents should call 911 and wait for help.
“Good luck with that shit,” Ray said as he punched the button to mute the radio, “From what Matt told us, there isn’t much of anyone left to help.”
“Yeah, and last I checked, the calls to 911 aren’t even going through,” Alicia added. “Although, if the mayor has already been in touch with the governor, maybe they’ll get the Guard in here soon.”
Ray leaned his head against the window, “Yeah, maybe, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.”
* * *
Margaret woke to the morning sun streaming through the cabin’s bedroom window. Plato was standing next to her. When her eyes opened, he licked her face and whined. She sat up realizing that she’d slept through the night. “So much for a little nap,” she thought as she stood. Plato ran to the front door of the cabin and stood whining. She stepped out the door to watch him, hoping he would be quick. He wasn’t the only one needing a potty break after a long nap. Fortunately, he seemed to be all business this morning.
Once he was back inside, Margaret realized that she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Plato followed her into the bathroom and curled up on the shower mat while she showered. As she moved to the bedroom to dress, he climbed on the bed. She opened the suitcase and pulled out her clothes, leaving it open. When she went to close it a few minutes later, she saw Plato curled up on top of her clean clothes. She scolded him, trying not to laugh, and the tip of his tail wagged. He made no move to vacate the suitcase, so she picked him up and sat him on the bed.
“You’re spoiled. You know that?” she asked pointing at him. He barked in answer. Margaret laughed and zipped the suitcase back up. When her hair was dried and her makeup was on, she went to the kitchen. Plato stayed close, waiting for his breakfast. She looked at the bag of food on the counter. She would still have to make a run to grab some groceries today, but she didn’t feel like going just yet. She thought she would eat a bite first and let Plato finish his breakfast.
Once he was settled, she sat down to have her own breakfast of yogurt, a banana, and glass of milk. She was full before she could finish the banana. That would tide her over for a while. Plato had long since finished his meal and was trying to kill a squeaky toy he’d found under the sofa. She smiled watching him.
He seemed full of energy right now, but he was an older dog. He’d wear down soon enough. When he decided to lay down for his morning nap, she would run down to the truck stop and get a few things for lunch. In the meantime, she thought maybe they should go outside and play a game of fetch.
* * *
Edward stepped cautiously onto the front porch of Booger’s house and looked around. The street was quiet. He saw no monsters. He stepped back inside and put Sammy’s leash on. They others gathered their things and headed for the Jeep while Sammy took his morning bathroom break. Once he was done, Edward ushered him into the back of the Jeep and climbed in the passenger’s seat. Rose, Gracie, and Adam were already settled in the backseat.
Booger turned onto the street where the truck had crashed the night before. They were all curious to see whether anyone had ever showed up to clear it. He slowed the Jeep to a crawl as they passed the truck. The driver was still behind the wheel, pinned to the seat by the piece of metal.
“The passenger’s gone now,” Edward said.
Adam shuddered, remembering her crawling toward him the night before. “She wasn’t moving very fast, but she did have all night. There’s no telling where she is now. I hope no one runs across her thinking she’s just injured.”
Edward rubbed his forehead, “Maybe I should have shot her. I just didn’t want to risk drawing anymore of them. The two we saw were moving pretty slow. Maybe I could have – ”
“No,” Adam cut him off, “The two you saw were moving slowly because their bodies were damaged. They don’t seem to feel pain, but that doesn’t mean they can just choose to ignore broken bones. Even if they don’t feel it, they can’t make it work properly. The ones at the hospital were faster. They were almost running. I think you did the right thing. At the very least, the one that followed Kim might have come after us, and we have no way of knowing how many more might have been out there. With the fog all around us, we wouldn’t have seen them until it was too late.”
They turned onto Main Street and saw a few cars in front of them, all headed out of town. For a moment, they drove in silence, as everyone scanned the sides of the road, looking for signs of anything that was not human. It was still early. Most of the town’s residents were just waking. Edward hoped to God that they would take their time and give the local news a chance to catch up before they walked out their doors this morning.
Since they passed the wreck, he had seen nothing to indicate that the town was under attack. It was all so perfectly normal. Edward looked closer. Finally, he saw what looked like a handprint on the side of that white car. It looked to be a mixture of blood and mud. A few houses down, a trashcan had been knocked over, its contents spilled across the drive. There were other things. Little things, yes, but they began to add up, telling a story about what might be hiding among the houses that lined Main Street.
Near the edge of town, they saw a woman running toward the road. A man wearing a police uniform followed close behind her. His face and hands were stained red. The woman dashed in front of the car in front of them. The driver swerved and missed her, but he hit the man. The impact knocked him to the side of the road. The driver began to get out of the car to check on the man. The uniformed man was still moving, struggling to get to his feet. The woman was out of sight now. Edward hoped she would get to safety before she ran into more of them.
Edward looked at Booger, “Pull up beside the car.”
Booger pulled forward as Edward rolled his window down yelling toward the driver, “Get back in the car and go! He’s one of those crazy people. Leave him!”
A look of horror washed over the man’s face as Edward’s words sank in. Then he jumped back in his car and slammed the door. The zombie was on his feet again now and moving toward the Jeep. Booger sped up, leaving him behind. The other car fell in behind them as they continued on their way.
Booger kept his eyes on the road, watching for any further signs of trouble. His hands gripped the steering wheel as he spoke, “I hope we don’t run up on a whole bunch of those things. That soft top won’t keep much out. When I bought it, I was worried about rain or hail. The salesman assured me it would be fine. I never thought to ask the son of a bitch about zombies.”
Gracie laughed, and Booger flashed her a wry smile in the rearview mirror. The others chuckled as well. For a moment, they all relaxed, but it didn’t last long. There was still too much danger. Besides, funny or not, Booger’s concern was valid. Given the circumstances, a soft top was certainly not ideal.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. As predicted, the intersection was backed up, though not as badly as they’d feared. Everyone seemed to be playing nicely today. Edward assumed that was because no one wanted to risk being caught out here in the open due to a wreck. As they inched forward, he stared into the Jeep’s side mirror and watched the town fall further behind.
CHAPTER 21
Adam looked across the broad parking lot. It was packed. He wondered how many of the people were stopping for gas and supplies as they fled town and how many were just tourists from one of the lake resorts. On a normal day, there were plenty of parking spots. Today, there were none available. Even the row of spaces out by Highway 47, to the side of the store, were taken. So Booger pulled up by the curb near Highway 62 and made his own spot, careful not to block anyone else in. He and Rose stepped out of the Jeep.
Edward turned around to look at Gracie, “Is there anything in specific you want - candy or chips or something?”
She thought for a minute. “Can I have some grape juice and a chocolate chip granola bar?”
Edward smiled, “Sure thin
g. Adam, you care to wait out here with her?”
“No problem.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed Edward a couple of twenties. “I’m not a picky eater, but I would like a water, if you don’t mind. Just put the rest on whatever you guys think we’ll need.”
“Will do,” Edward said.
Adam turned to Gracie, “So, how old are you? No wait. Let me guess. About…thirteen?”
“Close, but I won’t be thirteen until next January,” she replied.
“Ah, well, I have a niece who is just about your age. She’ll be thirteen in November. I’ve got a picture of her,” Adam reached for his phone and remembered that the battery was low. “Crap, I should have asked them to pick up a charger. My phone is dying. Remind me to show you her photo later.”
A while later, Adam saw Edward and the others exit the store and stepped out of the Jeep. He told them what he was doing and ran in to grab a phone charger. The store was crowded with nervous residents and impatient tourists. There was long line at the checkout counter. A trucker stood in line holding and cup of coffee and looking put out by the sudden rush. Adam took a charger and a wall adapter from the display and fell into place at the back of the line. He looked toward the Jeep. Edward was still standing at the back of it setting bags inside.
The last customer in front of him left, and Adam laid his items on the counter. The clerk scanned them and muttered a total. He inserted his card in the reader and waited for it to process. When he glanced back toward the door, his view was blocked by another customer entering the store. She was a plump, middle-aged woman. Her dark red hair was pulled neatly back into a loose bun. As the clerk handed Adam his receipt, there was a loud crunching sound from the parking lot.
The red-haired woman turned toward the noise, confused. Adam stuffed his card in the bag with the charger and pushed past the woman and out the door. A red pickup truck had plowed into a small SUV parked at the corner of the store. As Adam watched, the driver stumbled from the truck. He took a few steps and collapsed to the ground. Adam’s medical training kicked in, and he started toward the man. A hand locked down on his arm. Surprised, Adam turned to face the man who gripped his arm. He had dark hair, and was about the same height as Adam, maybe six feet tall.