“The kids,” the one officer said with a smile. “They’re all right.”
Something wasn’t right and Wilkes knew it, he looked and saw what the parents did. A wall of children walked down the dark street at the end of the parking lot. They appeared more as shadows being lit by only one street light behind them.
Wilkes blinked, took a step and stopped. “Something’s wrong.” He mumbled.
“Sherriff?” The officer asked.
The parents didn’t have to move too close to their children. In their racing enthusiasm to greet their kids, as if someone shouted, ‘go’ the kids charged for their parents.
They moved fast, too fast and the orchestration of groans and snarls rang out.
Wilkes saw his initial worried assessment was correct when the children came into light and they weren’t all right.
Instead of cheers and glees at the reunion of parents and children, there were screams. Blood curdling screams. Wilkes was at a loss at what to do as he watched the children pounce viciously on their unsuspecting parents.
Wilkes could shoot. But shoot who? The kids? He couldn’t bring himself to do that, he just couldn’t. And while the other officers ran to assist the parents, Wilkes backed off, got in his car and took off.
<><><><>
Garrick had a cigarette chomped between his teeth, a glass of whiskey in his hand as he sat on the really comfortable couch in the recreation room of his survival fortress.
He leaned forward exhaling the smoke, sipping the whiskey and listening intently to the police scanner.
Former military, that was how he met Jack, Garrick had transformed into an eccentric survivalist. Always on guard to be the next homeland soldier, ready to protect his country in the event of all out apocalypse. He had it all and his family’s money helped him get it. His fortress was stocked to care for many people for a long time and prepare for the future. He was ready for many apocalypse scenarios. Including the one he faced.
He listened as if he were back in time enjoying a radio program.
Static-beep, “There’s fifteen, twenty. Good God they’re fast.”
Gunshots.
Static-Beep, “I can’t shoot. They’re kids. Little kids.”
“Dude,” Garrick spoke to the radio as if the officer reporting could hear him. “Run.”
Static-beep, “….officers need assistance. They’re . . . .”
Scream.
Gunshots.
“Fuck.” Garrick sat back. “Little dead fuckers have to be fast.”
He was so engrossed and taken with the scanner events, that when Lil’s voice came over the intercom with a simple, “Garrick,” he screamed and jumped, grabbing his chest.
“Fuck.” He stood.
“Let us in,” Lil said in a factual manner.
Garrick question out loud, “Us?” and pressed the button to open the first gate. He’d leave the fortress, go outside and manually open the wall for her. He was curious about the ‘us’.
Did she bring Jack? He doubted that. Jack was an on duty soldier during a crisis; no way would Jack leave post.
Then Garrick downed his drink, lifted his weapon and walked to the door. He chuckled, thinking about his last words to Lil before she left.
“I’ll be back,” she said. “Do you need me to bring you anything?”
Garrick had joked, “A woman.”
After all he was still young and a partner in the apocalypse wouldn’t be too bad. Perhaps Lil brought a friend, he thought. Then quickly erased that one because he knew since her affair she gave up all her friends.
He stepped outside and opened the wall. The low level motion lights came on as the SUV pulled in and Garrick secured the gate.
The vehicle stopped and Lil got out first. The he saw the woman who emerged from the passenger side holding a sleeping toddler. She was older than he expected, and while her round and tall frame wasn’t his usual fare, her bigger brown hair was right up his alley. But who was Garrick to complain, it was the end of the world.
Who wants to be alone?
Those ‘end of the world’ hook up thoughts were fleeting when he got a good look at Lil and the woman she brought.
Both looked as if they had been through hell.
From what Garrick had heard on the scanner and seeing the two women, he was left to wonder how bad things had turned since he took refuge in his hideaway just a few days earlier.
<><><><>
Jack would swear he had never felt as helpless in all of his life as he did watching the National Guard arrive at the CDC complex and engage in a brutal battle. He was locked in tight below with Saul and wanted to go topside several times. When the outbreak of the undead hit the center, Jack, Saul, Dr. Powers and a few others were below
Saul urged him to remain below. He needed Jack there and encouraged him to have more confidence in the ability of his fellow soldiers. Saul and Jack were the only ones who remained.
.
.
Then after Jack cleaned house and Saul’s daughter attacked during her unexpected visit, Dr. Powers and the others left.
How far they made it out of the city, if they even did, was still unknown.
But below, watching the monitors, Jack felt helpless.
“They move much faster than the movies,” Saul commented.
Jack flinched as he watched a soldier shoot an undead in the chest. “Aim for the head. Aim for the head, fuck. You would think they never saw a zombie movie.”
“I didn’t,” Saul said. “Never.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
“How is that possible?”
Saul shrugged. “Wasn’t interested. But, medical common sense would have told me that the reanimation started in the brain so disabling the brain would be the means to ending the reanimation.”
“How are they so agile? They’re dead.”
“They aren’t all agile.” Saul pointed to the screen. “I think age, how fast they reanimated, all plays a factor.”
“Medical knowledge?” Jack asked.
“No a guess,” Saul replied. “But it’s medically based. They don’t bleed like in the movies, so the blood is coagulating. And I would venture to guess the eating is instinctive. They have to get full almost immediately. There is no digestive process.”
“Hence why they vomit it not long after?” Jack quizzed.
“Unless of course, like this one …” Saul pointed to the screen and to an undead without any insides. “It would just go straight through.”
Jack cringed.
“Ah, someone got smart. Look.”
Jack had been rubbing is eyes. He raised them to the monitor. The undead were going down. Finally they were firing accurately.
There were hundreds of the undead and more meandered outside.
As if they knew it was fruitless to head into the CDC, the undead wandered off.
The soldiers topside didn’t worry about the wandering undead outside. When it was all clear and safe indoors, Jack and Saul allowed the soldiers to enter the sub level lab area.
Saul had his data all packed and was ready to go; he would be moved almost immediately to Vermont.
Jack informed acting First Sergeant in charge of the unit that the injured men were to be quarantined. That was during the quick debriefing, before Jack departed to the front lines to manage the exodus and before Saul was escorted to the airport. But somehow, Jack didn’t feel his warnings would be heeded. That wasn’t Jack’s immediate concern.
Jack had to find out if their wives made it to Garrick’s.
Unfortunately both women’s phones were going directly to voicemail. Jack kept trying but knew time was running short and he looked as if he wanted to bang his head against the wall.
“What now?” Saul asked. “Tell me what your guts says. Did they make it?”
“I firmly believe …” Jack paused, ran his hand down his face and shook his head. “Fuck.”
“What?”
“I forgot. It’s Garrick.”
“Well since I don’t know him, tell me your revelation.”
Jack rummaged through his phone. “Garrick has a satellite phone. He’s buried so deep in the woods he felt he had to get one.”
“Those are expensive.”
“He has money,” Jack said. “Inherited it. Here.” He smiled. “I do have it.”
“Will he answer?”
“He better.” Jack pressed a button. “Yeah, he will.”
<><><><>
It had been a long time since Irma had eaten someone else’s home cooking besides her own. She was amazed at the place Garrick had constructed. A two floor structure, one floor completely underground with an escape tunnel. The top floor was concrete bunker style, yet there was nothing drab, dirty or militant about it.
Perhaps the place he called the family room was the most militant. It has the most stockpile of weapons, secured in cases, radios and computers. Although every single room in his fortress had a weapon box.
But the place was clean.
The kitchen stainless steel and spotless. So much space and storage. Irma couldn’t wait to cook a meal in there.
But Garrick had done well.
He told Irma he had purchase fresh produce prior to arriving and was doing his best to can or freeze what he could.
The dinner for the evening was stuffed peppers.
They were divine. Then again, Irma really hadn’t eaten in days and her mood was still at an all time low.
Jerry draped across her lap. His head tilted all the way back as he slept hard.
Irma sipped her wine. A drop rolled over the edge and dropped to his forehead.
Jerry didn’t budge.
“Oh, baby. Ya-Ya is sorry.”
Garrick stood. “Here” He walked to Irma. “Let me lay him on the couch.”
Irma shook her head. “I don’t want him out of my sight.
“He won’t be,” Garrick said softly. “I promise. He’ll be right on the couch and I swear nothing is gonna happen to him. I swear.”
There was conviction in his eyes and words.
Garrick repeated. “I swear.”
Nervously, Irma nodded.
As Garrick took him from her arms, Irma glanced at Lil.
Lil smiled at her. “You’re safe here. The baby is safe here. I promise.”
“Thank you.” Irma watched Garrick place Jerry on the sofa and cover him.
Jerry’s arms flailed outward in a jolt when the odd ringing sound startled him. In fact, it started everyone.
“The satellite phone,” Garrick said, rushing across the room.
Irma’s eyes shifted from Garrick to Jerry who rolled over and returned to sleeping.
Garrick lifted the phone. “I may have to go outside for this.” He walked toward the door. “Hello?” His face cringed. “Hold on.” He said into the phone. “Let me step outside.”
Garrick opened the door and slipped through.
The second his voice said, “Jack?” both Lil and Irma rushed to the doorway.
“Yeah,” Garrick said. “Yeah, she’s here.” He showed the phone to Lil.
Lil inched into the doorway. “Jack?” she peeped.
“Lil, thank God you’re ok. I couldn’t get a hold of you on the phone.”
“It died. It’s charging. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Jack answered.
“When will you be here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jack. You said you’d come. You promised.”
“I know. But I can’t protect you if I don’t do my job. I have to stay here to do it. But Lil, I promise, if it gets to be too much, I’ll be there. I won’t take a chance. Now do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Stay put. Stay with Garrick. Okay?”
Lil nodded. A gesture Jack didn’t see.
“Lil?”
“Yes, I will.” She said. “I love you, Jack. Be careful.”
“I love you too. Lil, is Mrs. Klein nearby?” Jack asked.
“Yes, she is.”
“Can you put her on the phone?”
Lil handed the phone to Irma.
Irma traded places with Lil in the doorway and apprehensively spoke, “Hello?” it was followed by a gasping, “Saully.”
Lil stepped inside of the family room to be closer to the baby and to keep Irma’s mind at ease.
“Saully, we’re fine. What about you? When are you getting here?”
“Things aren’t going to go as planned.”
“What?”
“I have to go to Vermont, Irma . . .”
“Saully. No.”
“Irma listen to me. If there’s a way to beat this thing, I have to do it. Understand. You’ll be safe there. You and Jerry being safe are what’s important.”
“Saully?” Irma questioned. “Can it be beat?”
Saul paused. “I’m gonna try. So that another parent doesn’t have to go through what we did, I’m gonna try.”
Irma released a sob. “Tell me you held her hand at the end. Tell me you told her we loved her.”
“I did.”
Again, Irma cried.
“Irma listen to me. I have to go. You are the strongest woman I know. You stay that way, you hear and I will get to you. I will.”
“And what am I to do if you don’t make it? Live without you?”
“Yes. You have Jerry.”
Irma sniffled and tried not to shed another tear, she conveyed her goodbye to Saul and handed the phone to Garrick. Immediately she went inside where, Lil awaited with open arms to give her comfort.
The two women, strangers a day earlier, were bonded again by the same circumstances.
Garrick stepped further outside when he heard Jack’s voice return to the line. “What’s going on, Jack?” he asked.
“There’s an exodus going into effect in about four hours. I have to work the lines checking people. Things are pretty bad here. I’m not sure what we’ll see or run into.”
“Then what?” Garrick asked.
“I don’t know. But I do know this. If things get so bad that I don’t see a fighting chance, I will be there. I’m giving Saul this number. I need you to be his lifeline back to his wife if he gets stuck and I can’t help him.”
“Sure thing.”
“And Garrick, don’t let my wife or Irma leave your fortress. You have that place locked tight.”
“They won’t leave.”
“Watch them.”
“With everything I am. And Jack. Be safe. Get here.”
Garrick ended the call. He held on to the phone and stayed outside for a few moments. The weather was great, sky clear. On his property, far from civilization it was so quiet, so peaceful, it was hard to imagine twenty miles away was a world lost to chaos.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Washington, DC