The Long Way To Reno (22 page)

I
cried quietly, pressing my hands against my face.

After
awhile, I cleaned myself up. I then watched the security cameras until I fell
asleep awkwardly in the chair.

When
morning came, I shuffled my way to the restrooms, used it, cleaned up my face
and as much of myself as I possibly could. I left the building cautiously,
examining the area around me. I didn’t hear anything unusual, and the smell of
smoke caught my attention. I walked around the building to see that there were
some trailers on fire in the nearby trailer park, and a crowd of people were
running from it. I thought they were Rabid at first, but some were carrying
children, and men were taking lead. I felt some comfort watching this – a
sort of relief that there was still some good in this world.

I
didn’t join them – I continued heading west, intent on getting home. I
walked Virginia street for some time, anxiously examining the areas around me
for signs of Rabid, new aliens, and people. Along the river bank, birds sang.
It was almost comforting to hear wildlife carrying on like normal. I crossed
the bridge, nearing Kuenzli. I could take that street down to Wells, and I
would be instantly closer to home. California Avenue wasn’t that far away from
Wells – I felt my heart skip a beat, overjoyed that I was a half day’s
walk from home.

I
was just coming up the crosswalk between Mill’s End Fabric and the Save mart
across from it when I heard a strange noise.

Immediately
cautious, I began searching for a place to hide. I turned and ran for the Save
Mart, hoping I wouldn’t run into people inside. The store was deserted, dark,
and it smelled of death. I had to step over some dead people near the door to
get to one of the aisles. I crouched down, breathing heavily, watching outside
the glass doors for whatever it was that had scared me.

Some
time had passed when I convinced myself that whatever it was had passed by. I
couldn’t even define what the noise had been. I left the building, straining my
ears to hear something out of place. I did hear the faint rumbles of incoming
aircraft. Scanning the skies, I hooded my eyes with my hand and stepped out
towards the parking lot. I turned to face the area I'd just left when
everything happened at once.

This
massive crash of sound and force destroyed the Save Mart. A strange series of
noises emerged a distance over my head as heavy feet maneuvered around me.
There was a mecha standing proudly above me – how it eluded my senses was
beyond me. I had no idea where it had come from.

The
noises were coming from it, and its head was turning, following the sight of
something in the skies. I looked in that direction, so in awe of the thing that
I didn't even think to move out from underfoot. One leg was literally brushing
against my arm, and the other had yet to lift, so I was directly between its
feet. My mouth fell open and I was visually drinking in what I was seeing. I
realized that it was speaking aloud, its words obviously alien and
indecipherable, but the way it positioned itself suggested that it was ready
for defense, addressing the aircraft in the sky.

The
rumbling noises in the sky began to grow louder, and I looked in the same
direction as it was. There were fighter jets coming in, and it was then I
realized my danger. I dropped my hands, turned, and began running for the adult
superstore ahead of me. The mecha moved at that moment, its foot inches from my
feet, and I nearly tripped with its proximity. It shifted over me, landing a
very short distance away from me. I scrambled to my feet and ran in the other
direction as a series of explosions from the sky alerted me to an attack from
the jets towards the mecha.

The
roar of noise and crashing sounds of impact nearly deafened me. I ran back
towards the freeway overpass, covering my head. The mecha stumbled, and as I
glanced back at it to judge its distance, it whirled around, releasing bright
explosives of its own after the jets as they flew by.

Five
small flares leapt into the air from the mecha, and slammed into one of the
jets, causing a massive fireball in the sky. Debris rained down onto the city,
and at that point, I turned and sprinted back towards Galletti. I was out of
breath, weak, but I didn't want to get caught up in that mess. From the heavy
roar of sound that began to move away from me, I had to guess that the mecha
was moving away from the area, the jets following at a safe distance.

This
battle continued on for some time. I could hear the scream of the jets as they
circled, releasing their rockets or whatever on the giant robot. I could hear
it continue to 'talk' in that weird way it had, the sounds growing fainter as
it continued away from the center of the city.

I
couldn't run anymore, by the time I reached Victorian, again. I stared in
frustration at the casino I'd left that morning, struggling for breath. Hands
on my knees, I lowered my head to catch my breath. My heart was beating so hard
that I could barely hear over it. I was so sweaty that I knew I'd lost at least
half of my foundation and blush. I looked back the way I'd came, giving a
frustrated curse. When I looked up in the sky, there was only one jet circling
its way upward, and that, too, exploded into a brilliant ball of flame and
smoke when the mecha's flare touched it.

I
bit my lip, then. Scanned the rest of the sky for any other signs of our
aircraft and feeling slightly bothered that there wasn't any. Did this mean
anything? Were we truly alone, hopeless to win against the alien threat?

Swallowing
hard, I rummaged through my bag for my water, and took a few gulps. I had just
savored the feeling of hydration in my dry mouth when I saw the horde coming at
me from Victorian. I dropped my water and screamed, running up Virginia, to
where it switched to El Rancho. At this point, I was tired, and I didn't think
I could run anymore. But when I looked back to see how close the Rabid were to
me, I found the energy to stay ahead.

The
trailer park fire was brilliantly hot, searing the cold air as I ran up El
Rancho, running towards the Drive-In. The Rabid's barks, snarls and screams
echoed throughout the area, and I struggled to run faster, trying to think of a
place to hide in time. The Usher's scream pierced the air – it echoed in
the buildings around me. Birds took flight, and a dog barked. The undead were
running so fast and hard that their bodies showed their strain. Tendons flexed
in what necks were left, teeth were bared, arms swung. Even those that looked
as if they shouldn't be running were sprinting with all the power and energy of
some trained athlete.

I
knew at that point I couldn't outrun them. I had to either hide or climb, and
they were rapidly catching up to me. I was breathing hard at this point,
finding it difficult. By the time I reached the stoplights, I knew I couldn't
do this pace, anymore. The vehicles here were smashed together, victims of
unstoppable traffic accidents. One of them caught my eye – an open gas
tank, with a bright red canister sitting below it, as if someone had been
syphoning what was left of it.

An
idea came to mind, and I ran straight for it, willing numb fingers to dig into
the side pockets of my bag. I pulled out the matches, and the can of hairspray.
Fumbling with the can, I stuffed it under one arm, panting heavily as I
struggled to pull out a few matches. Upon approaching the vehicle, I uncapped
the hairspray, tossing the top away. I then jerked out the Security jacket I
had taken, and stuffed one sleeve into the open gas tank. It immediately
swelled with liquid, so I took a match to it.

As
flames ripped along the material and caught onto the tank, I expected a
Hollywood style explosion – but I remembered dad telling me that it was
the fumes that caught caused explosions, not the actual liquid. The air was too
cold for the fumes to rise, so I needed to help it along, and that was setting
the jacket on fire.

I
looked back to see how close the horde was to me, and shrieked because they
were mere feet away. I unleashed the hairspray in their direction, catching one
in the face. He jerked, stumbled and fell, causing others to trip with him in
their haste to get to me. I then stuffed the can into the gas tank as well,
then scrambled over the trunk, muttering, "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!"

I
held my breath as I climbed over a smashed Ford Focus, scrambled over the hood
of a mini-cooper, then sprinted like mad away from the snarling sounds of the
pursuing Rabid. The Usher screamed, loud and long, and it was moments later
when the explosion took to the air. It was a deafening sound that was
accompanied with a mini-shock wave I felt clear into my chest. I turned to see
the work I caused, and gaped at the fireball rising into the air. Rabid
stumbled about, engulfed in flames, scratching at themselves.

The
Usher itself was screaming hoarsely, jerking about, crashing into the vehicles
around it in a panicked haste to save itself. Flames licked the air, burning
hotly, and I scrambled backwards, giving these breathy sounds of near laughter
filled with relief.

As
black smoke curled upward towards the sky, I caught my breath. Rabid hit the
pavement with weakened movements, unable to escape the flame. The Usher itself
collapsed against a small pile of moving bodies, and finally died with a
screechy gurgle.

That
was so
awesome
. I was so amazed at myself!

I
stared at my work, pausing in place with my hands on my knees to watch those
suckers burn.

I
noticed that the Usher must have mind-control over these things – once it
lost control, the Rabid didn't continue their pursuit. They wandered about with
a dazed expression, burning brilliantly, not noticing their body's peril. I
wondered about that as I straightened and prepared to leave the area.

I
stopped short because three people were standing so close behind me that I
bumped into the guy standing in front. Startled, I jerked backward, unable to
gasp because my throat and mouth were so dry. They were observing the damage
with stony faces, trying not to look impressed. All of them were armed with
crazy military-style weaponry, dressed in urban camo jackets, jeans and worn
hunting boots. Their packs were desert camouflage, and one of them had a bloody
cinchpack tied to his waist, suggesting some sort of kill.

"Good
job," the guy in front said, nodding his head. When he looked at me, I
swear
I knew him from somewhere – his dark hair was almost stylish, floppy on
the forehead, with a slight wave. But his face had seen too much sun, so he had
wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were huge, which I knew instantly
was the effect of some drug – dad had pointed out drug user
characteristics from time-to-time, forcing me to take note "just in
case."

I
missed him so much.

The
other guy was an ethnicity I couldn't place, but he looked a lot more friendly
than this guy did. He smiled at me, with both eyes and mouth, so I immediately
felt okay with him. He had salt and pepper hair, which was shorter on the
sides, and the beginnings of scruff on his jawline. The chick had short cropped
hair and I immediately placed her as butchy because…well, I can tell these
things. Her entire demeanor screamed 'man in training'.

"Where's
the rest of your group?" the man in front asked me. I couldn't help but
stare at him – I knew I knew him from somewhere, but I just couldn't
place…

"I
don't have one," I mumbled, looking for an escape route. But it felt like
no matter what move I did, these predators would destroy me at first action.

"You're
out here alone?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. "That's really stupid
for a female like you."

"I
just…I just wanted to go home, and – and the people I was with, they
didn't think too much of that decision," I continued to mumble. I had to
admit, I felt intimidated by these guys.

"So,
you want to get eaten? You like the thought of being raped by a pack of
men?" he then asked, and his partner hit him on the shoulder as the
delivery, given in monotone, made me feel
thissmall
. Almost…almost
similar to the way Harley had. "That's why you're out by yourself? The
packs of the living aren't like those herds of dead."

"I
just…avoid them," I said lamely.

"He's
been very mean, lately, but it's only because of the stress," his partner
finally spoke up, his voice heavily accented and strangely comforting. He
introduced himself with a warm handshake. "My name is Diego. This is
Chuck. Our partner here, her name is Chloe. We can take you to safety. There
are others, like you, in a safe group on the other side of Sparks. We shall
take you there."