And This Too: A Modern Fable (12 page)

             
Harley pouted and shivered as she watched Christian fill the gallon jug with more water. “I just want another rinse.”

             
Christian held the jug over Harley’s head as she smiled and squealed again.

             
Wringing out her hair, Harley looked at the man of her dreams and smiled lopsidedly. “We have about enough water left for another shower. Do I get to help you?”

             
Christian bit his bottom lip. “I dunno…do you want to?”

             
“That’s a silly question.”

             
Christian stripped down as Harley prepared the water.

             
“So,” Christian asked as the water poured down his body, “tell me a little bit about yourself angel. Where are you from?”

             
“I grew up in Derby…tiny litt-”

             
“Hey, me too!”

             
“What?”

             
“Yeah, I lived there my whole life.”

             
“Your parents would make the drive to that gas station every day?”

             
“Originally yeah, then they got enough business to hire employees and only went there every couple of days to check up on things, or would come in if something was going wrong.”

             
“How come we’ve never met before?”

             
Christian shrugged and splashed water under his armpits. “I’m older than you.”

             
Harley laughed too hard and snorted a little. “Oh, my gosh.” she mumbled clasping her hand over her mouth and blushing.

             
“Don’t be embarrassed, angel. It was cute.”

             
“Almost out of water.”

             
Harley filled the jug again and sighed, looking at her surroundings.

             
“This place is gorgeous,” Christian breathed as Harley began showering him again. “I used to come here all the time when I was a kid. Never saw too much of the river though.”

             
“The river’s my favorite part. Something about the water is so calming.” She paused to listen to the gentle laughter of the river. “Somewhere around here there’s a waterfall that I’ve never been to.”

             
“We could change that. Maybe not for a little while, but I definitely want to go explore a little when it’s safer.”

             
“Is it ever going to be safer?”

             
The birds were singing to each other, the sun shining, and there were no immediate signs of the infection.

             
“I think so.”

*****

              “
One of my favorite apocalypse-time meals is mac’n’cheese. In a pinch, you can use water to make the sauce, but if you have a can of condensed milk on hand, you have what can pass for a gourmet meal that is full of enough protein to get you through the long hard nights…
”

             
The group was circled up and half paying attention to the babble that was on the radio. Kurt was trying his best not to notice Harley’s wet hair as the duo approached the group.

             
“What the hell are we listening to?” Harley scoffed, walking over to a cooler and grabbing a water bottle.

             
“The only available radio station,” Tsgumi replied, menacingly eyeing the radio, “SWAK FM. Some nationally aired DJ has been surviving in the radio tower. Sometimes he plays music; sometimes he has important news…”

             
“Mostly, he uses the station as another mindless social network,” Trevor added.

             
“The post-modern version of Facebook,” Allie snorted.

             
“Well can we turn it off for now?” Harley pleaded.

             
“Then we might miss some important news,” Tsgumi sighed.

             
“Well…turn it down…I don’t need to know
everything
he’s doing to pass the time.”

*****

Somewhere in Wyoming

             
Jamie was terrified. It had been days since she had made the mistake of going outside. The moans had stopped; apparently, the metal shed wasn’t worth their time. Jamie gulped back the thought of someone else falling prey to the abhorrent creatures who were limping around out there. She barely ate anymore and could hardly work up enough courage to empty her chamber pot. Mostly, Jamie sat on her mattress in the far corner, hugging her knees while rocking back and forth and mumbling to a higher power.

*****

“This afternoon I have news for all the survivors out there. I have received word that President Abernathy and Vice President Marx have devised a plan and are training troops to eliminate the virus. I’m going to try to get them in the studio so you can have a more accurate report. I must say, this new development gave me enough hope to carry on. Remember, every bit helps. Every person out there fighting the walkers is a person who is, slowly but surely, helping to eliminate the virus. How do you do that? Eliminate the brain. I’m Jeremy Fitzgerald. Now let’s listen to some pre-plague tunes.”

*****

              “Wow,” Harley jeered, “actual news.”

             
“It must be hard to be entertaining during times like these,” Christian chuckled, wrapping his arm around Harley.

             
“He’s the only DJ on the air; we don’t really have a choice anymore.”

             
“Good point.”

             
“I think that this plague is good for our country.” Martin said, popping a Vienna sausage in his mouth.

             
Everybody looked at Martin in awe. After a brief pause, Christian replied, “You’re right.”

             
Kurt stood up angrily and spewed, “What the fuck do you mean?”

             
Christian shrugged, “It’ll weed out the weak. The way it’s supposed to be done. This plague is the equivalent of natural selection, right Marty?”

             
Martin nodded, stuffing another processed meat cylinder in his mouth.

             
“That’s just awful,” Kurt replied, walking away from the circle.

             
“Where are you going?” Allie hollered after him.

             
“I need to lie down.”

*****

Somewhere in Texas

             
Lucy watched out the window for newcomers. The Pump ‘n’ Gulp wasn’t being patronized anymore, so she was offering sanctuary. She had taped hand written signs that read, “If you are ill, you will be killed,” to every possible entrance. There were other hand written notices that read, “Violence Free Zone” and “If you’re not nice, you’ll get kicked out,” that had been designed by the refugees that Lucy had been harboring.

             
“Eliminate the brain,” Lucy muttered, "I can’t believe this is really happening.”

             
Lucy had single-handedly incapacitated many of the undeads since she had decided that the gas station should be utilized. She looked over her shoulder to see a couple of eight-year olds decorating “Sanctuary” signs that would plaster the windows. Sighing wistfully, Lucy closed her eyes and swallowed the uneasy lump that had formed in the back of her throat. Tears began to pool in her eyes.

             
“Why have you done this?” She asked, glaring at the ceiling. “Why do we have to go through this?”

             
Behind her, the two children were talking to Matt.

             
“And
how
do you deal with a zombie if one shows up?”

             
The tykes responded in unison, “Eliminate the brain.”

*****

Somewhere in North Dakota

             
Li Xiu was wiping down the tables that hadn’t been moved out of the way to make more floor space. Sleeping bags had been laid out on the floor, and the residents of the buffet-turned-inn were relieved to be staying somewhere that served food. Li Xiu’s arms and legs were exhausted from teaching self-defense before dinner. After the first zombie massacre, Li Xiu and her family had turned the eatery into a camp. And despite the societal collapse, the Yings were making a killing off of other people’s fears.

*****

“Good afternoon survivors. I’m Jeremy Fitzgerald, your premium source of apocalypse news. I have just received an exciting report declaring that Washington D.C and some of the surrounding regions are virus free. I’m still trying to get the President and Vice President into the studio, but my source reassures me it shouldn’t be very much longer. Keep on fighting survivors. And remember: every dead walker is one more step towards a virus free nation… and now, how to make toast.”

*****

              Harley had begun to enjoy Fitzgerald's ramblings. It helped give their faux-society a sense of normalcy. Christian leaned over and turned the volume down on the portable radio. The two were getting the fire ready for dinner. As the tinder began to glow, Fehny and Martin emerged from their tent. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky an orange-pink. New Haven was going on its twelfth night without incident. They still used caution in their day to day activities; however, the ominous signs of the plague had disappeared.

             
As Christian tended to the fire, Harley and Fehny prepared rabbit stew.

             
"So whose turn is it to do the broadcast?" Allie asked, sitting down by the fire.

             
"Harley, would you like to do it tonight?" Arnie inquired, plopping down besides Allie.

             
Harley shook her head.

             
A puzzled look spread across Christian’s face as he asked, "Why not, angel?"

             
"I'm not the pack leader," Harley mumbled to the pot of stew. "I took charge because the people I care about were in danger, but I'm nobody's leader."

             
"I'll do it," Kurt maundered, standing behind Allie.

             
"Weren't you the one who wanted to leave a week or so ago?" Trevor scoffed.

             
"I think he should," Arnie stated simply. "If he's been convinced that New Haven is safe, then he could probably convince others that it's safe."

             
Tsgumi began helping Fehny and Harley with the stew before it needed to be put on the now roaring fire.

             
Arnie and Kurt went over to the HAM Radio and began setting up for that night's broadcast.

             
"Hi… everybody. My name is Kurt DuBois, and I've been living in New Haven for the past twelve days. We have yet to encounter any undeads; we haven't even run into any lifers. Right now, we're making rabbit stew for dinner, trying to listen to DJ Fitzgerald on SWAK FM, and watching the sunset. If you're out there, you're welcome to come. We stress that we do not have much in the way of extra supplies, but we do have comfort and safety out here. Give us a shout out if you feel like you can make the journey, because we are hidden away enough that newcomers will need directions. Directions that we are more than willing to give you. ... Stay safe, keep surviving, and eliminate the brain."

Ten

"Good afternoon, I'm Jeremy Fitzgerald with a very special edition of the Apocalypse News. Today I have two incredibly important guests with me: President Abernathy and Vice President Marx. How are you two today?"

             
"Excited to be here today Jeremy."

             
              "Relieved to be alive."

"Can you tell me about what's going on? Do either of you know how this all started?"

             
"Unfortunately we do, Jeremy. See, there was a project, the Save-a-Con project, which was illegally funneling money into trying to scientifically design a superior soldier. Eventually, the scientist crafted a virus and accelerated its progress. It got loose in the lab and raged out of control in a matter of weeks."

             
              "President Abernathy and I assure all the listeners that the project board members are no longer government officials and have been punished appropriately."

             
"The good news that Vice President Marx and I bring today, however, is that we've been training every remaining soldier in every branch of the military to eradicate the virus."

             
              "These troops have become the best damn sharpshooters I've ever seen. Every single body behind a gun can hit the brain with one shot eight out of nine times."