Dead Hunger II: The Gem Cardoza Chronicle (43 page)

I wasn’t so sure whether what we’d have to say could be considered inspirational; it might just be perceived as angry
and perhaps a bit cocky
.  But we were angry for good reason
and
cocky for better reasons, so
even if this particular apocalypse wasn’t anybody’s fault, a bit of
cocky
rage blended with our smooth prose might just help survivors cope.

While
our new refugees
drank slow sips of water to rehydrate, we
carried
the other seven
survivors
inside. 
We sat with Lisa and her brother, Dave to find out what happened. 
Lisa
was a member of the congregation and a regular attendee of
the church, and
told us what had happened the day the zombies showed up.

There had been twelve others along with the twelve we rescued.  Twenty-four in all.  A 50% loss of life.

Some of them had
been hiding out there
as long as three months.  Others straggled in as they were able to make their way over.  Between standing watch and sleeping enough to stay alert while they stood watch, they made
runs out to grab water from a nearby well
,
and food from convenience stores, as well as the Denny’s before all the stored food began to rot.

The night everything went to shit, s
omeone had gone outside to relieve themselves and apparently didn’t latch the door proper
ly when they came back inside.

Who it was didn’t matter.  The person was dead and everyone knew it.  They
’d
liked that person a lot and didn’t
really
want to
talk about
it.

That night as they slept
on the forward-most pews with what blankets and padding they had
, several zombies penetrated their sanctuary and killed several members where they lay, gassing the rest.
 
The choice of who made it into the locked office
was based solely on who was in the front two rows of pews. 

Dave Gammon couldn’t sleep that night, and heard the intruders before they made their way to the front.  At the first screams of terror and pain, Dave jumped up and looked, seeing more than twenty of the
dead walkers
.  He’d already become familiar with them on the streets, so knew it was fight or flight, and there were too many
for the former
.
  Seeing as how they blocked the exit to the church, they had only one option, and that’s where Dave intended to hide with his charges.

He
yanked
his sister Lisa
abruptly
up and
out of her slumber,
running down
the row,
smacking
whoever was under the blanket
, yelling “Come!  Now!” 

No time for explanations, and
just
one glance toward the screams eliminated the need
.  When they saw what was happening, the
y followed him without questions
.

They had no food
in the office, and
no water
either
. 
Not even an old box of Saltines
.  But they did escape that room with their lives and consciousness.  That was two days ago.

I was heading inside the motor home when Flex took my arm.  “See if you can get Dave to come outside.”

“I know,” I said.  “I like him.  At first I thought he’d be trouble, but he’
s
awesome.  He’s the one who saved the other four in that room.”

Flex nodded.  “I need to ask him something.  Gem, we can’t hang out here until these people wake up.  They might not come to until tomorrow.”

“You think he’ll know if they’d come with us?”

Flex shrugged.  Hemp walked up to them.

“How are they doing in there?” he asked, indicating to the converted RV.

“Better.  The puppies really helped.  I think
Tong took to Lisa like instantly.”

“She can have him,” said Flex.  “It would be good to dole out the responsibility to individual owners.  This owning six dog
s
shit is overrated.”

“Don’t be surprised if she takes him,” I said. 

“I don’t want to stay here much longer,” Hemp said.  “The behavior of the infecteds in the church has me concerned.  The flanking they were doing is an attack strategy.  Like a wolf pack.  How they communicate, if they do, is beyond me.  Maybe it was coincidence, but I don’t put much faith in that.  I don’t have any answers, but if they can coordinate even a little, I don’t know what to expect from any others that might have come here and left, perhaps with designs on coming back.

“Out hunting?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Gem,” he said.  “But if they are, I want their food supply to be gone when they get back.”

Charlie came out of the mobile lab and slid her arm inside Hemp’s.  “What’s the plan?” she asked.

“I think we’re taking all of them to
New Hampshire
with us,” I said.  “Flex thinks we should ask Dave what he thinks.  The guy with the tats and piercings.”

“One sec,” Charlie said.  She bounded up the two metal steps to the motor home and said, “Dave, come here a sec?”

She nodded and came back to where we stood.  Before the door closed Dave pushed through it and closed it behind him.

“Dave,” said Hemp.  “I want to get moving.  As a group we’ve decided we don’t want to leave any of you behind.
”

“I can’t speak for them, but I can tell you that nobody here had a plan,” he said.  “From the moment Lisa brought me here I felt like we were biding our time until we died.  Once we were in that office, it felt like the better way to die.”

“So I take it you’re a yes,” said Charlie.

“I’m a fuck yes,” he said.  “So is Lisa.  I’ll warn you; right now we’re going through a little something, but she says she understands and she’ll try to get past it.
”

“What’s that?” asked Flex.

Dave sighed, his expression grim.
 
“
I shot her father, who’s not my father.  He was a good guy once
, but he’d become one of them, and Lisa watched him kill
her mother
.”

“Jesus Christ,” I said, remembering my uncle killing my aunt.

“She ran and hid, but he came after her, then me.  So I killed him.  Grabbed a dining chair and beat him with it until his head was pulp and he quit moving.”

“Was Lisa’s mom also your mom?” I asked.

Dave nodded.  “Yeah. 
Lisa’s my half-sister.”

“I’m sorry, Dave,”
said Flex. 
“Your story’s fucked up, but
unfortunately not
exclusive.  Lots of people have been put in that situation.  You were just braver than
some.”

I wondered if he meant me, but discarded that.  It was a guilt thing for leaving my uncle alive to hurt others.  But I hadn’t known much about what was happening then, so I had to put that guilt away.

“So what’s your feeling on the others?” asked Hemp.  “If we kidnap them are they going to be resentful of it?”

Dave looked mad for a brief moment and the look passed.  “They’d better not be,” he said.  “Because if they are, I’ll remind them of the choices they’d have been presented with if they were awake:  Choice one:  Get knocked out and wake up
en
route to
New Hampshire
, safe and sound.  Choice two:
Get knocked out and n
ever wake up at all, or wake up with something eating you.  If
anyone
give you any shit, and I don’t anticipate it, I’ll set them straight on that.”

“Okay,” said Hemp.  “Thanks.  The reason w
e’re going to
New Hampshire
is
because of the solid granite earth upon which i
t sits.  I’m hoping it’s an exclusive part of the country where this gas emitting from the earth is minimal.  It might allow a somewhat normal life.  Tell the others, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.  Todd said he’ll be ready when the others awaken.  He can check them out if that’ll help.”

“It will, a lot.  I’ll have him ride with us so he’s there when they wake up.”

“Speaking of that,” said Flex, “Dave, do you know if anyone else has any cars here?  I didn’t see any out front.”

“The preacher does,” he said.  “A little bus.  Like one the special kids ride on.”

“Older or newer?”

“In great shape.  Engine purrs like a kitten, and paint job shines.  I’d say it’s on the newer side.”

“Okay.  You mind driving that with some of the others?  It should be all we need.”

“Sure,” he said.  “I’m pretty sure I can pick up another bike in
New Hampshire
.  Probably something better than what I got.”

*****

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

We were back on the road. 
Hemp, Charlie and the seven sleepers in the motor home, Cynthia and Taylor in the Crown Vic, and us in the Silverado.

According to Hemp, our
new guests hadn’t woken up yet.  Flex drove and I stared out the window
, both of us occasionally checking the rear view mirror to be sure Dave still had the little bus behind us.  He did
. 

We were now third instead of last in the caravan, and Trina snored softly in the back seat as we made our way north and east, toward
Concord
,
New Hampshire
.

I saw the steeple of a church in the distance, and something happened to me.  We hadn’t seen any ghouls for a long time, and sunset
was fast approaching
.

“Flex,” I said.

“Yeah, babe.”

“When?”

“When what?”  He looked at me.

“When are we getting married?”

Flex looked straight ahead and didn’t hesitate.  “I’ll marry you now, Gemina Cardoza.  Right now.  If there were a preacher here, I’d marry you this second.”

“Tell everyone to pull off at this exit,” I said.

“Babe, what’s going on?”

“I want to marry you.  I want this baby to be born with your last name, and I want to commit myself to you.  So if that little church right over there is empty and clean, I want to marry you tonight.”

Flex pushed the button on his walkie.  “Everyone, off at the next ramp.  Head toward that little green church on the right.”

“Not another church,” came Charlie’s voice.

“If there’s trouble, we keep going,” said Flex.  “But this is a special stop.”

When everyone pulled up in front of the church, which was somewhat overgrown now, but clearly had been meticulously maintained before everyone got eaten or changed their diets, I jumped out
and went to the motor home and opened the door.

“There’s going to be a wedding,” I said.  “Oh, yeah.  I’m pregnant.”

“I fucking knew it!” shouted Charlie.

“So did I,” said Hemp, smiling.

“Get anyone who’s awake, lock the rest inside,” I said.

Dave walked up to me as everyone on his bus stepped off to stretch their legs.  “What’s up, Gem?”

I smiled.  I couldn’t help it.  “Flexy and I are tying the knot,” I said.  “Maybe not officially, since the preacher’s still out, but we’re doing it.”

“I’m a notary,” he said.  “In
Florida
, notaries can marry people.”

I snapped my fingers.  “That’s right!  Have you performed a ceremony before?”

Dave nodded, smiling.  ‘Yeah, on the beach in Sanibel once.  A friend of mine asked me to do it.  That’s the only reason I got my notary.”

“Okay, start practicing,” I said, giving him a quick hug.  I really misjudged him right off the bat.  It wasn’t like me and I felt bad about it, but only I had to know. 

There was a note on the door of the church stating that Pastor Frank would be out of town for two Sundays and to pray in the solace of your own home until his return. 

I wasn’t sure which Sunday he left, but the fact was he wasn’t holding church on the Sunday the world changed, and that meant it was locked up. 

Hemp popped the front door lock and we went in with full canisters of urushiol oil and guns just to make sure the church was clear.  There wasn’t so much as a dead body – not of a human or a mouse – in that space.  It was clean and abandoned.

When everybody was inside, I went to the front of the church, pulling Flex along with me.  He was smiling, and I could tell he was a little embarrassed.