Least Likely To Survive (14 page)

“Don’t worry.  I’m allowed to hit my sister, but I’ll be damned if anyone else touches her,” Ty interrupted my tense train of thought with a smirk as he popped her in the shoulder.

“Ugh.  Brothers,” she grumbled playfully as she popped him right back.

I turned back around, still smiling at their banter. How nice it must be to have a sibling who watches out for you.  I was an only child, thankfully, so there was never anyone else to share the horror of my childhood.

“Looking over at Jack, I asked “So what’s the plan then?  Should we just storm the gates?  Send up a flare?”

He grinned at me, and I watched his Adam’s apple bounce in time to his silent chuckle.  Apparently he thought that was funny.  “Uh, fucked if I know.  I guess we head to the Dome and see what happens,” he finished with a shrug of his shoulders before he turned his attention back to dodging abandoned cars on the road.  That was as good of a plan as any I supposed.

“What about the dog?”  I asked, as I looked into the far back to where Roscoe was intently staring out the window, stock still.

“Don’t worry about him,” Ty started.   “He’ll stick with me, and he’ll attack anything that gets too close.”

I frowned in concern.  “He’ll bite them?  What if he gets infected?”

Ty shrugged and scratched Roscoe behind the ears before responding.  “He’s bitten a few before, and he’s fine.  Maybe animals aren’t susceptible.”

I turned forward in my seat again and stared at the carnage around us as I thought about that for a minute.  How could they not be?  But then again, there were lots of viruses we could get that they couldn’t, and vice versa.  Sure I had seen the neighbors chowing down on that dog, but what if it had managed to get away?  Would it have lived?  I shoved that thought away for future inspection.

As we ambled down the highway, amidst the deserted cars, and zombies roaming about the road, I couldn’t help the feeling of dread that seated itself in the pit of my gut.  I had a feeling we were about to walk into some shit, and this whole thing didn’t feel right, but at this point we didn’t really have a choice.

We had taken the I-35 N exit towards Austin, and were now circling the Texas 368 Loop, headed towards I-37.  The car was filled with silence so heavy it would take a chain saw to cut through.  I think we all knew that shit was about to get real, and everyone was trying to prepare themselves for what could happen. 
Would anyone be alive?  How old was that broadcast?  Would it be safe enough to leave the kids there?
  This thought above all others was really plaguing me. 

After spending the day with them, the thought of just leaving them with strangers left a bad taste in my mouth.  Again I had to stop and remind myself I was not a good person to be left caring for children.  They needed safety and stability, neither of which I could provide.  Even Jack would be better off staying with them.  That thought was probably the best one of all.  He could stay with them, and I knew he would always make sure they were safe and well cared for.  I on the other hand would continue my journey alone.  It saddened me to think of saying goodbye to any of them, especially Jack, but I knew it was the best option.  My path was mine alone to walk, and besides, they probably wouldn’t want to come with me anyway.  Not when the possibility of a hot meal and shower hovered so dangerously close on the horizon.  No, I would make sure everyone was safe, and slip out quietly to continue to the coast.

I nodded my head to myself in my resolve as we approached the Alamodome exit, and Jack steered the Hummer down the off ramp.  As we descended, I knew we were in the right place, as there was a banner hanging off the side of the building declaring ‘SAFE AREA 1’.  You just gotta love the military outlets and their original names.  I would have written something like, ‘YARD SALE’, or ‘BERNIE’S BBQ’, but I was weird like that.  I did however wonder where Safe Areas 2 and 3 were…

We pulled to a stop just inside the parking lot, and stared at the massive structure wondering what would happen next.  There were a scattering of zombies wandering about in the almost completely faded sunlight, but not as many as you would think, as well as a whole row of army trucks forming a blockade around the building blocking the entrances.  Well, so far it appeared to be well in order.

Just as I was about to ask what the fuck we should do, a line of serious looking soldiers came marching out from between two of the trucks, picking off zombies as they headed in our direction.  Fuck, it hadn’t occurred to me they may not know we were alive and start shooting at us.  Guess it was time to find out.

  I unlocked and opened my door, gun in hand and started to climb down.  No one in the car stopped me or said anything, which either meant they thought I would be okay, or they were chickenshits.  It could really go either way.

I walked a few feet towards the soldiers, ready to piss myself as all their guns were still trained on me and at the car, when I cleared my throat and called out, “Don’t shoot!  We’re not infected, and we have kids with us!”  I thought I got all the important points out, and waited for their reaction.  The line stopped, but the lead guy kept jogging towards me. 

“How many?”  He barked out, still assessing as to whether I was lying or not.  I thought that was a bit much as the zombies I had met so far weren’t exactly the most articulate people on the planet.

“Two adults, two children, one dog.”  I said this as I lowered my gun, to show we really were friendlies, and smiled my most welcoming smile at him, which usually just makes me look like a cute little kid.

It must have worked, as he also lowered his gun, and gestured to a break in the trucks, “Okay, drive through there,” he continued to point towards an opening that led to an underground parking lot from the looks of things.  “Park in the lot on the left and walk through the main entrance.  That’s where ya’ll’ll get checked out.” 

Damn, ‘ya’ll’ll’?  We must be in Texas.  I didn’t laugh out loud though, thinking he didn’t look like the joking sort, but nodded my head and turned back to the Hummer.  I climbed back in my seat and closed the door, meanwhile Army Guy watched us intently the whole time.

“He said to drive through there, park in the lot on the left, and go through the entrance.”  I pointed to the break in the trucks, directing Jack.

“Did he say anything else?”  He asked as he put the shift in drive, and started to creep to the opening.

“He said that’s where we’ll be checked out.  I’m just going to assume there are medical personnel ready to inspect us for injuries and bites.”

Jack didn’t say anything when he looked at me.  We were both thinking the same thing, and fuck if we weren’t grateful none of us had been bitten.

As he drove us to where we had been told to go, I couldn’t help but look at the enormous stadium and wonder why they had picked this place.  It didn’t seem like it would be easily defensible, and judging by the large groups of soldiers milling about, picking off any zombie that got too close, I gauged there were probably a lot of people here.  This would seem like a good thing, but in my experience, large groups of people usually meant mass hysteria, confusion, and danger.  Besides, only the hardcore deranged people could possibly survive this shit, and fuck if that didn’t just sum me up perfectly, but also left me nervous about whom we might encounter.

I was yanked from my foreboding as Jack stopped the car, and we were suddenly surrounded by military and what seemed to be medics.  And they all had guns aimed at us. 
Fucking fantastic
. 

We were all worried, as we each slowly opened our doors, so as not to cause any alarm, and made no sudden movements, in our attempt to not get shot.  All four of us had climbed out, and I watched as Ty held the door open and whistled to Roscoe, who bounded out the door, and immediately squatted next to the car.  Guess he had to go.

We followed the line of straight-faced militia through the steel gates, and stopped just inside to await further instruction.  I took a look around, and noticed the whole place looked like a military/law enforcement convention.  Men and women were adorned in all different sorts of uniforms ranging from police, to swat, to Army, and back to Air Force.  They all had the standard issue buzz cut, or hair pulled back into a bun, and I really couldn’t tell the difference from one to another, save for the uniforms.  I had to wonder how long they had been preparing this place for the collection of survivors.

A man stepped out from behind one of the soldiers and approached us with a smile.  He wasn’t in any sort of uniform, but rather reminded me of a tour guide.  Late forties, with grey just starting at his temples, he looked like your classic insurance salesman.  “Hello, I’m Ian.  Welcome to Safe Area 1.  Please follow me,” he gestured to a cluster of plastic tents behind him, “So that we may provide medical attention.”  He seemed harmless enough, but I hadn’t lived this long without being cautious of everyone I met and something about this guy gave me the creeps.  I wasn’t sure what it was, maybe just the ‘matter of fact’ way he spoke, but something wasn’t right here.

I turned to the kids, and watched as Ty grabbed Chloe’s arm with one hand, and Roscoe’s leash with the other.  Seeing that they stayed behind us, Jack and I followed Ian towards the row of tents. 

He stopped in front of the first one, “Ladies, this is your stop, gentleman to the left.”  He pointed to the next tent as he finished.  They were really just white plastic, but not opaque, and I was sadly reminded of every movie I had ever seen where people had to be quarantined.  Ian smiled again and directed his next words to Ty, “Please leave the dog outside, for sanitary reasons.”  Ian nodded to someone beside him, who stepped forward to take Roscoe’s leash.

I watched Ty clutch the leather a little tighter, and as he opened his mouth to protest, the man spoke first.  “I’ll watch him for you.  He looks like he could use some water.”  The guy smiled at Ty, and this must have eased his mind as he handed the leash over.  I watched the guy grab the leash and lead Roscoe off to the side.  I darted a worried glance over at Jack; surely he must have thought this whole thing to be weird too, as everyone was much too calm and focused on us.  He met my gaze, and I saw the same worry reflected on his face.  I grabbed Chloe’s hand, and led her through the tent flap to see what fate awaited us.

Chapter 9:  The Alamodome.

As we stepped through, I looked around, and relaxed a little.  There were sectioned off areas for privacy, a couple of examining tables, and a middle-aged woman smiling at us.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Fields.  I just need to check you girls out, okay?”  She seemed innocuous enough; blonde hair cropped close to her ears, wire rimmed glasses, and laugh lines marred her face.  If worse came to worse, at least I knew I could take her. 

She turned to the privacy screens, “Please remove all your clothing, and you will find examination gowns behind the screens.”  She smiled again as she looked back at us expectantly.  Well, guess I had to get naked with strangers.  Oddly enough that hadn’t happened since the last time I ended up black out drunk at a kegger.  Chloe and I shared a look, and I shrugged at her as I headed towards a screen.  She must have taken that as the signal, as she headed towards the other one.

I walked behind it, and sat on the little stool to take my shoes off.  “Underwear on or off?”  I called out as I removed my socks.

“You can leave it on, as long as there is no blood on them,” Dr. Fields called back to me.  Good thing I wasn’t on the rag.  I unstrapped the gun harness, and gently laid it on the stool, now finished with shucking my cargos, I was actually glad to have them off as they were beginning to have that ‘not so fresh’ feeling, and pulled my shirt over my head. 

Standing in just my bra and panties, which were both adorned with skulls and crossbones, I reached down and picked up the paper gown.  It was the same giant napkin they make you wear at the gynecologist, and I was instantly grateful my panties were still on, as I was in no way shape or form prepared for that sort of
exam
.  Pulling it over my head, I pushed my arms through the holes, and sure I was covered, stepped out from behind the screen.

“Please have a seat.  Sorry we don’t have separate exam rooms, ladies, but this will have to suffice.”  She actually looked embarrassed as she said this, and I started to like her.  Any woman who understood how embarrassing it was to be naked with strangers was alright in my book.

I picked a table and jumped up, trying to get as comfortable as possible, without flashing anything unnecessary.  Chloe picked that moment to come out from behind her screen, and jumped up onto the table next to mine.  She looked at me and giggled when she noticed how silly we looked in our powder blue napkins.  I knew she wouldn’t be giggling if this was the other type of exam, but obviously she hadn’t been down that road yet.

I turned my attention to Dr. Fields, as she walked over to me with a clipboard.  “Name and age?”