Apocalypse Aftermath (50 page)

Blinking rapidly, Jessica
realized her hand was empty.  She’d dropped the Shield.  The zombie was only steps away, Austin still face down and coughing.  Raising her head, she spotted the black pistol just out of reach and grabbed for it.  Frantically she pointed the weapon at the zombie and fired.  Her bullet rocked it back with an impact against the chest.  She fired again, then twice more, doing nothing more than making it weave sideways as the rounds affected the creature’s balance.

“Calmly.  Slow down.”
a frantic voice inside her said as the zombie loomed over Austin.  He had noticed and was rolling away, trying to bring his own weapon into play, but she heard him coughing painfully as he moved.  He sounded bad.  Jessica suddenly found herself staring at the zombie’s chin with the Shield’s sights centered perfectly on it, and squeezed the trigger before she could think another thought.  Abruptly the zombie wasn’t looming anymore, and she twitched both gun and gaze down as she sat all the way up.

The walking corpse was on the pavement, its feet barely a step from Austin.  It wasn’t walking anymore.  Austin slumped as he saw the
thing was down, and coughed some more.  Jessica’s head swiveled quickly, looking around the area.  Except for her and Candice and Austin, they seemed to be alone.  She pushed herself up to her feet with left hand and right leg, barely noticing the pain in her left knee as she bent and used it to support herself.  She looked around again, but nothing else seemed interested in inquiring as to their dinner plans.

“Mom!” Candice cried, and Jessica elevated the pistol as her daughter crashed into her.  Jessica’s knee protested as she had to plant it to keep from falling over again.  “Mom!”

“Shhhhh.” Jessica said tightly.  “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.  Are you?”

“I’m okay.” Jessica said, looking around again.  She didn’t see anyone, but she could feel seconds ticking past like sirens.  She’d only been in one fight in her entire life, and that had been a sort of slap-push fest back in second grade over a long since forgotten issue.  Now she’d killed someone – not a zombie, but someone who’d been a warm, breathing, thinking person.  Her gun had put a bullet through his head, and her finger had pulled the trigger.

Jessica felt like she wanted to be sick, but there was
no
time.  She knew it.  Cold, desperate need was focusing her thoughts despite the dismay and shock tearing at her as she tried to avoid looking at the mess her bullet had made of Eckert’s head.  They had to get out of here.  Shooting was still happening down the road at the Eagle facility, each report a lethal warning of the need to
go
.

“Let go of me.  I have to check on Austin.”
she told Candice.

“I’m alright.” Austin wheezed, but as he pushed himself up slowly on his hands and knees she saw blood on the pavement beneath him.
  More was on him, wetly staining his black clothing.  She didn’t see his gun anywhere.

“Come on, on your feet.” Jessica said, clicking the safety on and jamming
her pistol back into the holster at the back of her belt.  “Let’s go.”

“I know.” he said.  He tried to rise, but even with her pulling on him he was having
trouble.  Jessica looked around and spotted her cane.

Candice saw where she was looking and grabbed for it.  “
Here.  Use this.” the girl said, shoving it at Austin.

“If you insist.” he grunted as he took it.  Using it as a support he was able to lever himself upright to his knees, then with Jessica’s help he managed to stagger up unsteadily.  She swayed and stumbled sideways with him as he rose, feeling her bad knee twinging painfully as she tried to keep him up and avoid falling over herself.  He was
heavy
, and it was hard to support him.

He crashed down on the road with a grunt.  Jessica barely released him in time to avoid being pulled down with him; she knew better than to try and keep him up when he was falling like that. 
“Come on, come on.” she muttered tightly, tugging at his arm.  “Let’s go tough guy.”

“Trying.” Austin wheezed as he pushed himself up
once more.  This time he got the cane propped up properly so he could use it as a lever.  Jessica steadied him as best she could as he managed to rise.  The big man paused as he regained his feet, leaning on the cane to breathe.

“There’s no time, we’ve got to go Austin.”

He nodded and put an arm across her shoulders.  Jessica shifted her weight quickly, trying to support him and stand without using her bad leg.  The first step was rough, and Austin nearly fell when he tried to take a second.  Barely catching him in time, Jessica frowned and resisted the urge to shout; but her voice was growing thinner and higher with real panic now.

“Find your balance.  Austin, you’ve got to help me.  I can’t carry you.”
she panted, struggling to keep him from going down again as he swayed.  Her knee was starting to really hurt.

“I know.” he said again before a hacking cough erupted from within his chest.  He got the cane planted and leaned on it as she steadied him.
  “I know.” he repeated painfully.

She glanced around again as he spit several times.  “Okay, let’s go.”

“There.” Austin nodded at the SUV behind Eckert’s body.  “Take . . . that.”

“Fine.” Jessica said, ducking under his left arm and jamming her shoulder into his armpit.  “Come on, walk.”  He hissed in pain as she pressed him up, but let her support him.

His next couple of steps were unsteady, and she began to despair, but he seemed to find a rhythm with the cane and her help as they staggered toward the SUV.  She wasn’t sure she could even drag him, much less carry him; she needed him on his feet if she was going to get him to the vehicle.  Jessica guided him around the bodies and their spreading pools of gore.

She could feel him trying to keep from leaning t
oo heavily on her, but he kept swaying and sagging, and by the time they got to the passenger side she was panting with effort as much as he was.  Austin put his hand on the vehicle as she tried the rear door first.  To her relief it opened when she tugged on the handle.

“Okay, in you go.  Plenty of room.”

Austin ducked in and all but fell across the seat.  She put her hands on his ass and pushed as he reached for the opposite door and used the armrest to pull himself all the way in.  As soon as his boots cleared the opening, Jessica slammed it closed and opened the front door.  She saw the key was still in the ignition, the familiar plastic tag with its embossed Eagle vehicle number dangling on its ring.  “Candice, in the car, now.”

“Wait.”

“Now . . .” Jessica repeated, stepping to the side to see what her daughter was doing.  She was running up with Austin’s MP5 and pistol in her hands.  As Jessica watched, the girl stopped and lifted the big rifle Eckert had dropped when Austin had shot him.  Candice carried it by the sling, holding it right where the strap clipped onto the stock so the barrel pointed downward.  The rifle was almost too big for her, but she managed as she joined her mother.

“In the car, now.” Jessica said, taking the rifle and MP5 from the girl.  “Put that gun on the floor.”

Candice scrambled onto the seat, depositing the pistol on the floor mat as she hauled herself up and onto the seat.  Jessica made sure her daughter was all the way in, then slammed the door and limped quickly around to the driver’s side.  She got in, stuffed the weapons down next to the seat and center console, and grabbed for the key.  The engine started right up when she tried the ignition.

“Seatbelt.” she said as she put the transmission in reverse.

The SUV responded smoothly as she backed it around in a tight circle with the steering wheel hard over.  She shifted and turned north, made sure she was lined up properly on the road, then put her foot down.  Despite the vehicle’s mass and size the engine was powerful enough for her to feel the acceleration as it surged forward.  Nothing but the best, that was the Eagle way.

“Is your seatbelt on?” she asked Candice without looking.

“Yes.”  There was an accompanying click that told the half-lie, but Jessica ignored it.  Candice was belted in
now
.

“Austin, how are you doing?”

“Third time . . . I’ve been . . . shot.” he wheezed.  She glanced at the rearview mirror, then reached and adjusted it quickly.  She left it where she could see out of the SUV’s rear window but also into the backseat if she craned her head some.  Austin had rolled over and was fumbling in his pockets.  “Hurts like hell.  Vest caught . . . some of it, . . . but rifle rounds . . . aren’t what it’s . . . designed against.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Candice asked, twisting and looking between the front seats.

“I hope so.  When you get to . . . the main road . . . turn left.  West.”

“Right.” Jessica said.  She fumbled around until she found the control and flipped the high beams on.  The road ahead was clear, and she could just see the crossing section of pavement where Highway 128 intersected with the Eagle driveway.  It wasn’t even in the headlights yet, just a reflection of smooth darkness at the edge of the trees.

“You were paying attention today, weren’t you Candice?” Austin asked, sounding like he’d gotten his breath back a little.  “On the range.  About the guns.”  Jessica glanced at him in the mirror as she felt for the control to move the seat forward a little so she could reach the pedals better.

His voice was still thick and it sounded like he was about to cough wetly with every syllable.  He had unsnapped his equipment harness and peeled open his shirt.  There was a wad of white gauze in his hand.  There was blood on his hands and chest above a bulky
armor vest that he was wearing right next to his skin.

“Yes.” Candice answered, sounding scared.

Jessica took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep her hands steady on the wheel.  “Candice, what you did was very dangerous. 
Very dangerous
.  Do you understand?”

“Yes.” the girl said, her voice getting smaller.

“You could have—” Jessica had to stop before she let her voice crack with a sob.  Her hands were shaking some on the steering wheel as she clung to it.

“Mom’s right.” Austin said.  “And if you’d missed, we would have died.
  And you almost did miss.”

Jessica braked sharply as the T-intersection rushed up, beginning her turn.  Austin grunted as the G-forces pulled on them
when the SUV swung around to the left, then again as Jessica straightened out and punched the accelerator once more.

“He was a bad guy.” Candice all but whispered.

“Yes he was.” Jessica said tightly.

“He was going to hurt you.
  Us.”

Austin started to say something, then grunted as he stopped himself.  Jessica waited several seconds.  She wanted to curl up against the window and cry, but she couldn’t even allow herself the solace of closing her eyes. 
The draining adrenaline was leaving her feeling weak and thready, but knowing why didn’t make dealing with the quivering in her muscles any easier.

She had to stay focused on her driving.  The SUV was up to seventy, and while she wanted to go faster, she was already afraid of being able to see everything ahead clearly enough to avoid wrecking.
  The last time she’d been behind the wheel, that’s exactly what had happened.  And she was still limping because of it.

“That was incredibly dangerous.”
Jessica repeated.  “You could have been killed.”

“I’m sorry.” Candice whispered.  “I . . . I just wanted us to be safe.”

“First chance we get, I’ll teach you about guns.” Austin said before coughing some more.  “Until then, you need to listen to Mom.” he added after he found his voice again.

Jessica felt a shiver roll over her, but she held her tongue.  She was right on the edge.  There was too much happening right now.

“It’s okay mommy.” Candice said softly.  “We’re okay.”

That was it. 
Jessica forced everything out of her mind except the road and the SUV.  She couldn’t think about this now.  There was too much to do.  She blinked away a few tears that threatened to fall and focused on her driving as the SUV whipped west, keeping her thoughts blank except for the headlights and the pavement they revealed.

There was comfort in total numbness.

“Mendez, Gunny.” Peter said into the radio, lowering the map.  If he was reading it right, they were only a mile or so from North Forsyth.  That should be close enough.

“Yo, Gunny.  We were starting to worry.”

“Yeah, well, we had some zombie problems at one of the schools.”

“You responsible for that huge plume of smoke we saw a little while ago.”

Peter grimaced.  “Yup.  Good story, we’ll fill you in, but what’s the situation there?”

“Pretty quiet.” Mendez answered.  “We’ve shot about twenty zombies that showed up in view of the bus. No big deal.”

“How are the locals acting?”

“Oh, that State Trooper, the lieutenant, asked if we needed anything a couple of hours ago, but other than that no problems.
  He even let our civvies move into tents out on the fields, so they’re out of the trucks now.”