End of the Line (13 page)

“Thank you,” he said. “Oh god, thank you. I was so close to offing myself and you came.”

“Breathe,” I said and Eric released me.

“You can come with us,” I said, “We’re heading east now, and checking on other people’s houses.”

“No, I got a working car,” he said, motioning to the Camry. “Haven’t been driving it, but running it a few minutes here and there to make sure it works, I’ll go to the CostKing.”

“Be careful, okay.”

“I will, it ain’t that far.”

Tanya sat next to me. She kept the windows down slightly, looking out for zombies. The gun was down and the safety was on, but she kept her hands near it ready to switch it off.

It didn’t take long for Eric to pack his things and go. Like all of us, he had a pack and the shotgun for a quick escape. His shotgun would add to our arsenal but he didn’t have much ammo left. I wished he hadn’t wasted a bullet shooting at us.

Dave surprised me by not complaining about the extra time or when I told him I would be driving.

“Are you sure we have no place to stop for you?” I asked, trying to make small talk.

“Nope.”

“No family?”

“Nope.”

“Friends.”

She looked at me and snorted.

“They dead?”

“Yep.” Silence again. This was going to be a long trip.

“Who’s next on the list?”

She looked at the clipboard. “Eli.”

“Instead of a hug, I’ll get shot in the face.”

Tanya snickered. “Don’t worry. I’ll cover you.”

“Have you killed at lot of zombies?”

“Probably, I don’t know. I kill ’em when I see ‘em. Don’t keep track. Maybe I should. What about you? Kill any?”

“Just one.”

“Was it bad?”

“I wacked it with a baseball bat several times before actually killing him.” I didn’t mention I did it while screaming my head off.

“Was he young or old?”

“Old, white, wearing a Smile-Mart greeter shirt.  Probably why I was able to take him out.”

“Do you think there’s a cure?” she asked. I thought of the blood vial in my bag.

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“All those people we killed won’t get it.

“Those people are already dead and gone. I want a vaccine to protect us. Something that could have saved people like Mindy.”

Tanya didn’t respond, and then said. “Slow down a bit.” 

I did as she asked. The road had cars on it, some with dead bodies inside but they were mainly littered to the side. I saw what she spotted, something shambling in the parking lot of a strip mall.

“Think you can get it?”

“If you can drive slow enough.”

I slowed down to about 10 miles per hour. The radio came on, “Hey Jim,” I heard Dave’s voice. “What’s up?”

I didn’t respond until Tanya took her shot. I don’t know if she got the head but it went down.

“Good thing white bread gave me those lessons.”

“Jim,” said Dave’s voice more concerned and angry. “What the fuck is going on?”

I sped up and Tanya took the radio. “Nothing Dave, target practice.”

Dave paused, then said: “Fine, keep us informed, we got some scared women and a kid back here.”

Tanya put the radio besides her.

“He’s such a dick,” she said.

“You aren’t a ray of sunshine.”

Tanya shrugged and went back to the silent treatment. She did that when things got personal. I got Rachel and Maddie to open up to me. I knew their secrets and sadness. I knew Rachel was bitten by zombie and never became one. That her affair with Dan started before this all began. Maddie came off as bright and bubbly but was secretly depressed. She had four children and a husband of 25 years who was her sweetheart. She taught for almost 20 years. Went to work everyday; watched as her kids vanished from her class, and got reports that most of them died. She stopped going to work, tried to nurse her husband and youngest son, couldn’t get to Eric or her two twin daughters and when she came to CostKing, as far as she knew her entire family and her class were dead. Finding Eric would fix that hurt a bit.

“Breaker, um—I don’t know how to use these things—“ Speak of the devil, it was Maddie and she was beginning to fade out. “You’re using it,” said Rachel’s voice.

“Oh, Sweet Jim, are you there?” I really hated being called sweet Jim but I didn’t say anything.

Tanya grabbed the CB. “He’s driving.”

“Okay, you let everyone know that Eric arrived here safely. He’s with me and I have my heart back.”

Tanya held the CB up to me, but first I had to go around two cars crashed in the road.

“Good to hear, Maddie.”

“Sorry didn’t get that?”

“I said, good to hear.”

             
Tanya took the CB back. “Sorry, I think we’re goin out of range. Talk again soon.”

             
“God bless all of you,” she said and then was gone.

             
“We have one good story, I hope we have more,” I said.

             
“Bittersweet—turn left here.”

             
I did as she asked. Turned left, but then had to stop.

             
A white stretch limousine, like those used for proms and weddings, blocked our way. An SUV front with a body so long it blocked the entire street. This one had a miniature airplane tail on the back. There was no way to get around it. My only guess is someone used it as a blockade. The street was narrow, so I had to back up.

             
“Anyone behind me,” I said and laughed. I put the truck in reverse.

Then there was a crash and the sound of something breaking.

“What the fuck,” came over the radio. 

I thought I backed out straight; there shouldn’t be anything behind me.

“We backed into a car or something.”

I went forward again, but I felt like the passenger side was dragging something.

“Hold up,” Tanya said, she pulled her gun and left the truck but stayed near the door. A moment later she came back. “You came out at an angle, and smashed a car. Move up and try to straighten out.” She came back into the truck. I pulled the truck forward close to the limo but didn’t hit it.

Then the most bizarre thing happened. The driver’s side limo door opened and a man came out. He wore a driver’s suit over his pudgy frame and round glasses over his Middle Eastern looking face. He waved a truck gearshift stick, of all things, around as a weapon. I thought he saw zombies but instead he came over to my side of the truck. “Get the fuck away from my car, you douchebags!” he yelled.

I stopped the truck, and didn’t even know how to react to how surreal this was.

             
Tanya snorted. “Do you wanna talk to him or should I?”

             
“How about I back away slowly?”

             
The man moved closer, waving the gearshift stick around, swinging it like a sword into the air.
             

             
“Leave my car alone you dicks!” he screamed.

             
“Jim, move it.”

             
“He doesn’t scare me.” This guy was a lunatic and I was in a truck.

             
“Don’t care about him, look to his left.”

             
Sure enough his yelling had brought five zombies who were slowly heading his way.

             
I stopped the truck and opened the window.

“Hey!” I screamed, waving my hands. Tanya was tugging at me to get going. “Move! Zombies are heading your way!”

“Oh yeah! Why don’t you suck your own cock!”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Go!” she screamed. The zombies moved closer to the limo guy. I closed the window and put the stick in reverse. Hit the car behind me so hard, it pushed it out of the way. I kept moving in reverse. I watched the five zombies grab on to the limo driver and pull him to the ground, giving us a perfect view as they tore his guts out. He tried to hit them with the gearstick but it wasn’t deterring them.

“Shit,” Tanya said. “He’s still alive.”

One of the zombies, a fat blond woman, had the guy’s intestines in her hand and was eating them. The other zombie, a short skinny redhead was using her hand to dig into his chest. A slightly balding man began fighting with the fat blond woman for the intestine. The fourth one, a blond teenage girl gnawed on his head. Another one, a tall man with a goatee was pulling off skin in one hand and the other gripped a camera.

I hit the gas harder, even though they were more interested in feasting on the driver than us.

I managed to back up out of the street and on the main road. I floored it, hoping that a woman with a baby carriage wouldn’t dart in front.

“Wow,” Tanya said and she seemed exhilarant. “That freak was batty.”

I couldn’t answer. I had to get my heart rate back to normal.

“Jim, fucking answer me!” came Dave’s agitated voice over the radio.

“No need to worry, Dave,” Tanya said, into the CB. “We’re fine.” She turned it off and started laughing. Despite the demise of the poor fellow, the irrelevance of it made me laugh.

“What about Eli?” I asked.

“Not about to risk my life for a dead cracker.”

             
“Who’s next?”

             
Tanya’s crazy demeanor suddenly stopped when she looked at the list. “It’s the kid.”

Chapter 9

             
About 40 minutes later, I made a right on to a quiet street filled with garbage and nothing left of any houses but ashes. Trees were burnt to cinders. Cars were metal frames. No zombies or limos blocked the street. The roads had buckled and were lumpy as we drove over them. The next block was exactly the same. Now I know why Aisha couldn’t get to her house. This place must have been an inferno, especially with no firefighters to put it out.

             
“Shit,” Tanya said.  “Looks like my old neighborhood. Before the zombs.”

             
“I hope her house is still here.”

             
“I see black neighborhoods are kindling but whites ain’t.”

             
“Stop it, Maddie’s neighborhood was fine.”

             
“It’s mixed.”

             
“There’s no neighborhoods now, we all survive in this together.”

             
“Old things die hard. Look at Dave.”

             
“Dave’s a horse’s ass.”

             
Tanya started laughing. “Turn right here.” Things looked up as I came across a large strip mall followed by a parking lot which seemed to stop the fire from spreading.

             
“Go two blocks.” I kept going. The houses were run down, mostly looking weathered although some were missing their roofs but no sign of burning and only a few bodies littered the streets. I had become desensitized to the bodies, because there was so many. Didn’t know if they were dead of the flu or killed by zombies. I think most people died in their homes or hospitals.

             
“Here,” she said.

             
I stopped the truck. It was a two story house, not boarded up and the screen door was missing.

             
“I don’t think anyone’s here,” I said.

             
“We should see if her mom’s inside.”

             
I turned the engine off and pocketed the keys. I would hand them off to Dave. I was going to have lunch in the back after we finished here. It was only two and I was already beat. 

             
I grabbed the CB. “Hey Dave, we’re at Aisha’s house. We’re going to open up the back.”

             
“Copy,” he said. We got out of the truck. I looked around but thankfully did not see any zombies. The air didn’t smell of burning. It was a clear pleasant day with blue skies but the place was desolate. I didn’t think a single person was in a mile radius. The fire must have driven both the people and zombies out.

             
I went to the back and opened it.  Everyone looked sleepy and shielded their eyes from the bright sun. I guess there wasn’t much to do. Dave came down first and helped Ashley, then Dot. Jake and Annemarie came down without help, and then helped Aisha. Dot moved across the street and lit a cigarette.

             
Aisha looked at her house. I guess she could tell it was empty. I touched her shoulder. “Tanya, Annemarie and I are going to check it out. You stay here with Jake and Dave.”