Dead Hunger II: The Gem Cardoza Chronicle (44 page)

“I know some of you don’t know me all that well,” I said.  “But I left this man quite a long time ago.  It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”

I turned to look at Flex, and my eyes welled up.  I paused a moment, then turned back to all the tired faces.

“But when all this crap went wrong, he was the only person I could think of; the only face I saw when I closed my eyes, even to blink.  So I went looking for him and by a miracle, he was there, at the first place I went looking.  At even greater odds, he was alive and uninfected, and he took me back.”

I turned to look into Flex’s eyes again.  “So,” I said, “Let me announce now that I’m pregnant.  And Hemp, I didn’t know when I asked you about immunity, but I had some idea.”

“I knew that,” Hemp said.

Charlie punched him in the arm.  “Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“I didn’t really know,” said Hemp.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said.  “But Flex asked me to marry him a few days back, and I said yes.  When I saw this church, I got a feeling.  This is the place, and this is the time.
  Flexy said it was okay.”

Dave Gammon stood and walked to the front of the church.  “You want formal or just off the top of my head?”

“Top of your head,” Flex and I said in unison.  Then we smiled like idiots at one another.  It was already starting.

“Next we’ll be wearing matching Hawaiian shirts,” he said.

“Shoot me if that ever happens,” I said.

“Wait!” said Hemp.  He stood up and took Charlie’s hands, then knelt down in front of her.

“No,” Charlie whispered.  “Hemp.”

But I saw the tenderness and love in her eyes.  So, apparently, did Hemp, because he didn’t stop.

“Charlie,” he said.  “Since that first day I laid eyes on you, the very beat of my heart changed.  I believe it synced with yours that instant, and when you’re not near me, it skips and jumps.  When you’re in danger, it feels like my spine has been injected with steel rods, I’m so stiff.  At first I didn’t know why.  I’d never felt it before.”

“You loved me,” said Charlie, smiling.  “I rocked your world.”

Hemp’s smile was as goofy as I’d ever seen it.  “That’s right, Charlie!  You did rock my world, and it hasn’t stopped rocking since.  I want you to marry me today, Charlie.  Stand up there with these two whom I know we both love like family.  Let’s make this a double wedding, Charlie.  Make my life.”

“Yes,” said Charlie.  “Oh, fuck.  Charlie Chatsworth!”

Everyone laughed.  “They can call you Charlie or Mrs. Chatsworth, baby.”

Charlie fell out of her chair and into Hemp’s arms.  She kissed his neck and he stood up and carried her to the front of the church.

“You guys ready now?” he asked.

Hemp looked at Charlie, then at me and Flex.

“Hells yes,” I said.  “Let’s do this.”  I looked at Flex once more.  “Hope you’ve gotten your vows figured out.  I do.”

“Shit,” said Flex.  “I’ll think of something.”

I was dressed in suede capris pants and a mid-sleeve top with almost a bare midriff.  Flex wore a khaki button down long-sleeved shirt rolled halfway up his arms, with faded jeans.  

In these clothes, we’d more suitably get married in a biker bar than a church, but it was what it was, and fuck it if we weren’t getting married right then, along with our best friends in the whole world, Charlie and Hemp.

Turns out a paper in the church said we were now in
Meadowview
,
West Virginia
.

Dave stood in front as the two couples, me and Flex included, stoo
d
facing him. 

“We are gathered here today among friends and strangers, but good people, all.  The world has changed from the one we once knew, but with the bonds of marriage we are about to create, let it be the first step toward returning this society into a civilized one where love is not something to be reminisced about, but rather celebrated each and every day and witnessed by all of us.  Let love be a beacon, a light in the distance that we can all strive to reach.  For as we know, love has the power to complete us and bring us true happiness in our hearts.”

“Very nice,” I said to him, winking.

“I’m improvising,” he whispered.

Flex nudged my ribcage.

Charlie laughed.

“We shall first join this man, Flex
–”

“
Sheridan
,” whispered Flex.

“Sheridan, and this woman, Gemina Cardoza, in holy matrimony.  To spend the rest of their days sharing life’s experiences, both good and bad, protecting one another, and leading each other down the many paths of life, making corrections when they take missteps, but always supporting the other through the inevitable difficulties of life.  Flex, please share your vows with Gem.”

Flex turned toward me and took my hands in his.

“Gem,” he said, his eyes
fixed on
mine.  “Time was meaningless before you came into my life.  There was no heart inside me until you came and handed it to me.   Everything I did before I held you in my arms
meant nothing,
and I didn’t even realize it.  And this might sound funny, but even food tastes better with you in my life, and that says a lot – because the food we have now sucks ass, Gem.  You make it
sweeter, if that’s even possible. 
You’ve heard of the
opening to that book by Dickens, ‘A Tale of Two Cities?’  It began:  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

He squeezed my hands in his, and I fought my tears.

“Gem, I know what that means now.  I finally get it.  While they’re completely different, the times
are the same,
Gem, because while that world out there is fucked up beyond belief
, I’ve never been
happier.  I never want to be without that again.  I never want to be without you again.”

And now I was crying.  I blinked away my tears as best I could, and looked into his eyes.

Trina was in the front pew smiling at me and I waved her over.  She jumped up and ran to me, taking my hand.

“No, not there.  Up here.”

I leaned down and pulled her up into my arms,
trying not to bump my awkwardly gauze-wrapped thumb, which thankfully, only throbbed a little.

I
kissed her on her sweet lips, and looked back at my Flexy.

“Flex
Sheridan
,” I said.  “I have been in love with you since probably a week after I met you.”

“It took a whole week?” he asked, smiling.

“At least,” I said.  “But as my love for you
became undeniable
, I got scared.  I thought I was making a mistake.”

I looked at Trina, who’s little brows had furrowed.  “Gemmy left him.  I got scared.”

I turned back to Flex.  “
You see, I didn’t really know you.  Or I thought I didn’t.  I expected I was doing what I’d always done to that point in my life; jumping in without thinking.  But that’s not what it was, Flex, because when all this happened, and you were the only person I could think of in this entire world, I set out to find you, and I did.  You opened your arms to me, and here’s the best part of all.”

I put my cheek to Trina’s and hugged her tight, then let her down to stand beside me.  I took Flex’s hands in mine again.

“When I saw the strength and love you have in your heart for this little child, and when I saw how you did everything in your power for your family, I knew who you really were.  I knew that my heart had been right on about you the first time.  It was nothing but my own insecurities that sent me away.  Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s final this time, mister, because I love you with everything inside of me.  This beautiful girl standing beside me is going to have a little brother or sister, and the four of us will face the world together with the assurance that the power of a love like ours will see us through.”

Flex looked at me, the tears streaming from his eyes, too.  “You didn’t say fuck once,” he said.

Everyone laughed. 

“Get the fuck on with it,” I told Dave.

“Do you, Flex Sheridan, take this woman, Gemina Cardoza, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I absolutely do,” said Flex, smiling.

“Do you, Gemina Cardoza, take this man, Flex Sheridan, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Fuck yes, I do.”

“Fuck yes!” shouted Trina.

Everyone guffawed this time.

“Okay, then,” said Dave.  “By the power vested in me by the State of
Florida
, I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride.”

We made out for a good five minutes before realizing there was still another ceremony to be performed.  We stood aside.

“Okay, Charlie?  Hemp?  You ready?”

“Ready, yes,” said Hemp.  “Prepared, not at all.”

“Wing it, babe,” said Charlie.  “At least I’m wearing my Sex Pistols shirt, even if you don’t let me listen to it on the road.”

“We’re going to make this simple,” said Hemp.  He turned and took Charlie’s hands in his, dangling down below their waists.

“Charlie, you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met and if I were to pass up this moment to make you my wife, I’d never forgive myself.  That’s because I knew the instant I saw you I wanted to marry you.  Then I touched you, smelled you.  There was no question.  There is no question.  If there was ever a woman for this man, she is standing right now in front of me.  I love you.  Okay, now you.”

“Oh, really?” she said, smiling.  And yes, she had streaks of tears, too.  “Hemp, and I love the nickname, by the way, I didn’t know what to think of you when I first met you.  I knew you were good looking, and I assumed you were smart from what Flex and Gem said about you.  But I didn’t know you’d have such a big heart and such a capacity for love as you do.  I’m happy to be the recipient of that love because what I’ve discovered since meeting you, and realized more and more every day, is that I can’t stand being apart from you for even a minute.  When I’m not with you, I think of you.  When you’re quiet, I wonder what you’re thinking.  When you sleep, I wonder what you’re dreaming.”

“So how are you different than a stalker?” Hemp asked, smiling.

“Shut up,” said Charlie, laughing.  “So this is it, Hemp.  Sitting here, watching those two getting ready to do this, I wished
silently that
you’d ask me.  And my
wish came true.  Right away.  So I love you, Hemp Chatsworth, and I’ll become Charlie Chatsworth for you.  Forever.  Because, as amazing as it sounds even to me, I fucking love you.”

“Skip the other part,” said Charlie.  “I do.”

“So do I,” said Hemp.

“Then I pronounce you husband and wife.  Kiss her, Hemp!”

Hemp did.  I thought our kiss was long.  Dave wasn’t finished.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Flex Sheridan, and Mr. and Mrs. Hemphill Chatsworth!”

The applause in the tiny church was deafening.

EPILOGUE

Late that evening, we were able to awaken the remainder of our new
mobile community of survivors. 
Despite their forced slumber, after we got food and water into them and explained who we were, where we were going, and why, they found they were exhausted.

We’d taken all the bedding and pillows from the steel supply, so were pretty well set for spending the night in the church, plus we found what must have been the church’s camping gear for youth getaways.  There were about ten adult sized sleeping bags and some useful camping stoves and lanterns, as well as several more canisters of propane to fuel them.

The man I just call Preacher is actually Father Jim Hoover.  The little boy is Justin Hoover, his nephew, and he’s
eleven
years old. 
The three women that were in the pile of bodies outside the church were named
Kimberly Treloar
,
Victoria Hansen
, and Vikki Solms. 
The three
were sisters
, which explained their common immunity
.  Victoria and
Kimberly
had been married, but their husbands had turned.  Vikki’s husband was an alcoholic and had died of liver disease after they divorced years ago.

The two men that had been outdoors were unknown to any of the people in the church.  They seemed to have shown up at some point after the zombie attack.

Flex and I decided
we would
have a talk with them soon, after everybody got used to the
road trip
to which
we’d
involuntarily committed them
.

Our caravan, a converted RV
with trailer, a ballistic steel-
sheathed Crown
Victoria
, a brand spanking new Chevy Silverado Crew Cab,
and a short, yellow school bus
rolled on down the highway, snaking our way
northeast
toward
Concord
,
N
ew Hampshire
.