Tom
grabbed the keys out of Blondes' outstretched hand, and then began running for the
Focus. "Wait there...I'll pick you up." He yelled over his shoulder
while looking down at the set of keys for the remote unlock button.
Sprinting
across the blacktop, he glanced toward the boy and hollered, "This way kid,
this way!" The boy knew he could not outrun his chasers forever so he
veered toward the parking lot, probably figuring anyone was better than those
chasing him. Tom began repeatedly pressing the unlock button until he saw the
taillights blink.
Skidding
to a stop, Tom threw open the driver door, and jumped in. He fumbled with the
keys for a couple seconds before jamming one inside the ignition, and firing up
the engine. He threw the car in reverse, and then stomped on the gas. The front
tires of the Focus squealed, white smoke billowing out in front of the car, and
then they gripped the pavement, accelerating the car away from the curb.
Watching his rear view mirror, Tom could see the boy racing in his direction.
As Tom neared the boy, he slammed on the brakes, reached over and flung open the
passenger door. The boy jumped into the seat, and before he could get the door
closed, Tom shifted into drive, and gunned the gas, speeding away from the
pursuers.
At
the far end of the parking lot, the blonde leaned up against one of the handicap
parking signs. Accelerating toward her, Tom shouted to the kid, "leave
the door and get in the back." Without a moment’s hesitation, the boy crawled
between the seats. Knowing they had gained distance, Tom turned and eased to a
stop next to the blonde that was now holding out a single thumb in hopes of
hitching a ride. Tom couldn't help but smile. Dropping the comedy act, she
wasted no time hopping off the curb, and piling into the passenger seat while
reaching back to slam the door closed.
Tom
glanced out his side window while accelerating toward the street that fronted
the hotel. Three men and two women were racing across the parking lot, their
faces red with rage, arms reaching out awkwardly in front of them. Turning the
corner onto the street, he could see this nightmare was just getting started.
In
front of Tom was a scene straight out of the aftermath of a Hollywood
blockbuster. The immediate intersection was jammed up with wrecked cars, one
of them flipped over on top of a broken fire hydrant, water jetting in all
directions. farther down the street, the back of a red ladder truck stuck out
of a hardware store, bricks tumbling down its sides, spilling across the
sidewalk. Like the hotel next to him, fires crackled in the windows and smoke
poured out into the street.
On
both sides of the street several separate groups of people were in massive
fights. Some people were on the ground underneath attackers, others were being
drug to the ground, while many around them lay alone, unmoving. There were people
on fire, oblivious to the flames, chasing after others. The chaos was nearly
overwhelming.
Tom
forced himself to focus on the task at hand. They had to get out of here.
Steering
the car over to the far left side of the road, he hoped to avoid both the
burning hotel and most of the crazed people. At the sound of the rumbling
engine, several people turned toward them, eyes demented and filled with rage.
Those that were not already preoccupied with unleashing havoc on their downed
victims, began racing toward them.
The
blonde let out an ear piercing scream just before one of them slammed into the
passenger side window. His face pressed up to the glass, blood and spit dotted
the view. Tom quickly hit the power door lock, not knowing if the rage monster
would take the time to use the door handle or not. As the blonde leaned toward
Tom trying to gain distance from the window, there was another loud thump as
someone hit the back window on the driver’s side.
Everything
was too much for the boy. He sat dead center in the back seat, with his legs
curled up, knees covering his face, motionless.
The
car lurched forward as Tom stomped on the gas. Veering to the right, he aimed
the car for a gap between the mess of cars in the intersection and the corner
of the hotel. With a jolt, the car bounced up over the curb and squeezed
through the narrow gap, only losing the driver side mirror in the process.
Turning
the corner, Tom was glad to see that this less busy side street did not have
nearly the same level of chaos. There were people several blocks down, but too
distant to make out what they were doing.
Keeping
on the accelerator, he sped down the street looking left and right at each
intersection. Each street told the same story. The city was coming unglued.
The
blonde sat quietly staring out the window. Whether it was shock, despair, or
just detailed observation, Tom did not know. The boy still sat in an upright
fetal position.
With
the once distant figures now coming into sight, Tom could see it was more of the
same, and not a path he wanted to take. If they kept driving sooner or later
their luck would run out. He scanned both sides of the street, looking for an
opportunity, and midway down the next block he found what might be their best
hope…a bookstore.
The
Bookworm was a small mom and pop type store wedged between a trendy clothing
store and a jewelry store. The buildings were constructed of large cement
blocks, looking like a fortress. Tom was drawn to the bookstore. Sunlight
shown on books in the small display windows, but did not penetrate into the
dark interior.
Pulling
the car over to the curb, Tom was surprised when the blonde immediately popped
open her door, and climbed out…apparently she had been just observing earlier. Shutting
the car off, he left the keys in the ignition in case of the need for a quick
getaway. The blonde already had the back door open and was coaxing the kid out
as Tom came around the car.
The
trio quickly made their way over to the bookstore. Despite the closed sign, the
doorknob turned freely. Tom was unsure if he should be worried or glad.
Looking left and right down the street to make sure none of the rage monsters
were barreling down on them, he pushed the door inward. He nearly jumped out of
his pants when the little entry bell above the door jingled for a new customer.
“Sorry
we’re still closed.” Came a thin voice from somewhere in the back.
Once
all three of them were inside, Tom closed the door and locked the deadbolt.
For the first time all morning there was peace. Other than sirens that were
barely audible, sounding far off in the distance, there was quiet inside the
little store.
Breaking
the silence was a “Hello?” from the back.
Tom
wanted to trust the thin voice, but after this morning, he felt caution was
required. He gestured for his companions to stay put while he quietly circled
to the left around a long row of bookshelves. The bookstore was narrow, with
only two freestanding bookshelves, breaking the store into a center aisle with
an aisle to each side.
Darkness
enveloped him as he worked his way farther away from the front windows.
Staying tight to the inner bookshelf, he pulled out his favorite Leatherman and
flipped it to rage monster killing pliers. Reaching the end of the aisle, he
could see a sliver of light coming from underneath a door centered along the
back. Placing his ear up to the dark wood of the door, he could hear nothing
from the other side. Holding the Leatherman over his shoulder, he reached down
and slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.
He
was a bit surprised to find himself staring down the black holes of a double barrel
shotgun. Behind the gun, on the other side of a desk, stood a grey haired elderly
woman with a look of “go ahead and try it” on her face. Just to the right of
her, behind the desk, he could see a small monitor displaying four grainy
security camera views. In the upper left he could just make out the blonde and
the boy still standing by the front door. She had watched him the whole time.
Slowly
raising his left hand, while dropping the Leatherman, he said, “I can explain.”
“You
damn well better…and call your friends up here.”
They
must have either heard or sensed something was going on, because he could see
them moving toward him on the video display. He slowly sidestepped to make
room in the doorway, saying nothing, knowing she could see them coming between
the aisles.
Seeing
a woman and young boy did not lower the shotgun an inch. “So…what’s your
story?”
“When
did you get to work this morning?” Tom asked.
“What’s
that got to do with anything?”
Looking
over his shoulder and pointing his thumb back toward the entrance, he said,
“Things have changed out there…its chaos.”
“He…he
saved me.” The boy stammered, almost in tears. This caused the shotgun to
lower a bit. Now Tom would get a gut shot instead of a head shot, not really a
great trade off.
She
continued to eye them suspiciously. “Why are you here…sneaking between my
books, with a knife or whatever that thing is?”
Tom
lowered his hands to his sides. “People are going crazy out there, attacking
each other. We barely escaped the hotel. The streets are a mess, and we had to
find somewhere to hole up for a bit. I’m sorry, but please trust us.” Getting
no response, he continued on. “Do you have a TV or radio?”
“I
live in the apartment above, but...” before she could finish, there was a loud
rumbling from the street, and popping noises that cut her off.
Tom
immediately recognized the popping as gunfire, and knew it must be close,
probably on their street. No sooner had he finished this thought, a large
white truck, the back loaded with people, went roaring past the front of the
store. At least one of the passengers in the back had a pistol and was firing
behind them. A few seconds later there was a loud squealing of tires followed
by an enormous bang. They must have crashed into something just down the
street.
The
crash was followed by an eerie silence.
Several
seconds later, out of the front store window, Tom saw people sprinting toward
the truck. They had the same crazed, single minded run of those that pursued
the boy earlier. Tom counted at least a dozen of them, most with arms
awkwardly held out in front, as if reaching for their prey.
There
were a couple sporadic pops from a pistol, some shouting, and then a few quick
shots fired in rapid succession. Next were the screams…gut wrenching screams.
He could picture people being ripped to shreds while lying injured and
helpless. Thankfully, the screams only lasted a few seconds before being
replaced by the same eerie silence.
Tom
turned back toward the elderly woman. She now held the shotgun limply by her
side. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, a look of
shock in her eyes.
“Let’s
get upstairs…ma’am…stairs?” Walking around the desk, he reached out and grabbed
her arm. “Let’s get upstairs.” His touch seemed to bring her back to
reality. Handing him the shotgun, she turned toward the back of the office,
walking through a narrow doorway leading down the hall. Partway down the hall,
she led them up a stairway to her apartment..
Tom
immediately crossed the small apartment to one of the windows facing the
street. Pulling back the white lace drapes, he peered out, surveying the street
below. There were no people immediately below the apartment, but farther down
the street, in the direction of the wreck, there was a flurry of activity. The
view was a tight angle, making it difficult to see what was going on. If he
opened the window and leaned out, he may be able to get a better view, but he
quickly dismissed that idea.
The
city was a buzz of noise. Sirens, alarms, and the occasional pops and booms of
weapons fire could be heard through the glass. Being in the middle of the
city, surrounded by the chaos, was absolutely terrifying.
Releasing
the drape, he turned back around, and found the three of them waiting expectantly.
“I
think we’re okay for now.”
Now
that Tom finally had a chance to take a breath and think, his thoughts went
straight to Kelly and Sam.
Had they stayed in the house like he told them?
Did the neighbors get flu shots? Would she go talk to them?
His worry was
endless.
The
blonde squatted down next to the boy and began talking to him.
Reaching
in his thigh pocket, Tom found his cell phone. No Service, guess that was too
much to ask on a day like today, he thought to himself. Looking back up, he saw
the blonde was now holding the small boy in an embrace, comforting him - not
Tom’s strong suit.
The
elderly woman looked at Tom, “What’s happening?”
Tom’s
mind was still on a single track. “Where is your phone?”
Turning
and pointing to the counter by the kitchen sink, she replied “There.”
He
set the shotgun on the counter and tried the phone, nothing, no dial tone, no
operator, no static, nothing.
Back
north of Spokane, he and his family lived on 80 acres. The seclusion would be a
huge benefit to Kelly and Sam's survival. Kelly was very resourceful, and he
had to trust she would be making the right decisions. Pushing the worry out of
his mind, he focused on their current situation.
Tom
turned toward the elderly woman. “My name is Thomas Pike, but everyone just
calls me Tom. I don’t know much more than you do.” He relayed the news he got
off the TV, and the events that led up to them invading her bookstore. She
remained expressionless during the recap, likely trying to process all the
information.
“The
photographer was with me…we were taking interior photos of a few downtown
businesses.” The blonde chimed in. “We were discussing plans in his room when
he just snapped…started throwing things, yelling unintelligibly. I ran for my
room and locked the door." Looking at Tom she finished, "You must
have discovered him a few seconds later.”
The
little studio apartment was sparingly furnished, making it easy for Tom to
quickly find the silver TV remote laying on the coffee table. Pressing the
green power button, the picture came on a second later. He began cycling
through channels, trying to locate any information. Most channels were sitcoms,
infomercials, and other pre-recorded shows. Occasionally the screen would be
filled only with a storm of black and white static. Getting frustrated, he
continued through the stations, pressing harder and harder on the remote, as if
pressure dictated the quality of the next station.
Before
making a complete revolution, he came across several of the 24/7 news stations, but
each one was the same. They had a steady shot of the news anchors’ desks, but
the chairs were empty and papers were strewn all about, like a giant wind storm
had blown through. Some had chairs tipped over or filming debris piled about,
but none of them had any people. On all of them were scrolling tickers,
relaying the same information he had read back in his hotel room.
Tom
hit the green power button again. “Damn…nothing new.”
He
thought back to his home, surrounded by trees and mountains, unlike this prison
of cement, streets, and people. He and Kelly had talked about how bad things
would get in cities if something really drastic ever happened. He never
pictured anything quite like this, always thinking it would be a massive power
outage or some kind of food shortage. Now he had the sinking feeling that all
of those were likely to happen, as well as far worse things. This was not the
place to be, and he knew it.
“I’m
Rachael and this is Jack…he lost his parents this morning and I assured him we
would take care of him.” The blonde said while running her fingers through his
short brown hair. His big blue eyes looked up at Tom, nearly in tears, and
then quickly went back to the floor, clearly not wanting anyone to see him
cry. The little guy possessed the same innocent toughness as Sam.