Parish (12 page)

              “Come on.” Artemis spoke to Wade who stepped over his fresh kill and continued to follow Artemis and Wren.  Emily was bringing up the rear.

              “Hey, look!” Wren pointed to a white box truck that was parked behind what appeared to be a laundry.   They ran towards it, Artemis throwing open the door and aiming his gun into the cab.

              “Cab’s clear.” He stated before running to the back.  Wade followed.  “Get ready, we don’t know what’s back there.” Wade nodded.  Artemis threw the latch and pushed the door up to open it.  One fat zombie shuffled towards them, his arms out stretched, mouth open and making chewing movements.  Artemis aimed his weapon.

              “No, don’t!” Wade said harshly.  Artemis gave a curious side glance.  “Let him stumble out onto the pavement that way we don’t cover the inside with blood.”

              “Good idea.” Artemis nodded and began to walk back, luring the zombie towards him.  It stumbled and fell flat onto its bloated face.  It sounded like someone threw a sack of watermelons onto the ground.  It attempted to push its way up, but Wade was atop it before Artemis could take aim, and he slammed his crowbar through it skull.

              “Let’s move.” Wade hoped up into the back of the truck, and pulled the door closed behind him.  Artemis ran back to the cab.  Emily and Wren were already inside, leaving the driver’s seat open for him. He climbed in and closed the door.

              “The keys were in it.” Wren pointed.  Artemis turned the key, and the engine roared to life.  He inspected the gauges.  Wade had come up and was leaning through the small space that lead from the cab to the cargo space.  “Well, here’s a bit of good news.”

              “What?” Emily asked.

              “We got a full talk of gas.” Artemis smiled broadly as he released the parking break and pulled out, driving down the alley.

              They had to take it slow, abandoned vehicles were all over the road and even the side walk.  They made their way past a few of the dead were making their way down the street.  A few of them appeared confused, trying to attack their own reflections in the glass of the shops or the cars. 

              “Why aren’t we seeing anyone else trying to get out of the city like us?” Wren asked as she looked at a heap of dead who were left to rot in the hot southern sun.

              “Maybe they’re already out.” Emily replied.

              “They could be bunkered down like we were, but just waiting for help.” Wade suggested.

              “What help are they waitin’ for you suppose?” Artemis shook his head.  “Ain’t no help coming.”

              “You don’t know that for certain.” Emily looked over at him as he drove.  Wren pushed her way up and made her way back into the cargo hold with Wade.  They began inspecting a few of the laundry bags, trying to find any way to occupy themselves instead of doing nothing more than watching the dead walk or the dead rot.

              “Maybe I don’t know it for certain, but it’s been what now…three, four days, since this all started?  Yeah, they tried to help at first, but look at how well that all turned out, doc.  Those things over took us, and we were highly trained.  These things don’t fight fair, they ain’t attacking based on approved international combat.  You can’t reason with these things, they’re worse than rabid animals.”  Emily frowned and shot his a disapproving look.  A sudden understanding settled over him.  “Oh, doc, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said that.”

              “No, you’re right.” She replied, putting her feet up onto the dash.

              “Right don’t always mean right.” Artemis shook his head. 

              “Right is right, sometimes it’s just hard to hear.  It doesn’t make it any less right though.” She sighed.

              “You still want to go to the swamp?” He attempted to change the direction of the conversation.

              “I don’t think that’s a good idea.  I think we should try to get to an unpopulated area.  We should head over the bridge.” She reached up and hugged her knees.

              “The bridge?” Artemis asked, his forehead pinching as his mind raced.

              “Yeah, head over Lake Ponchatrain.”  Emily turned her head to look at him.

              “That’s a long bridge, what if we get stuck out there?” Artemis pressed his lips together.

              “It’s our best shot.” She shrugged, turning her head back to look out of the window.

              “I think it would be safer to stay on land.  If shit goes down at least we’ll have a way out.” Artemis continued to drive.  “There ain’t gonna be no way out in the middle of that lake.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get out in the middle and have to choose between jumping in and dying or staying on the bridge and being eaten.  Neither one of those sounds good to me.”

              “There are no guarantees either way.”  Emily spat.

              “Let’s take a vote then.  There are two more people here who should have a say.” Artemis motioned back towards the twins.

              “I’m their mother, they’ll do as I say.  They’re kids, they don’t know.” She pulled her feet from the dash.

              “They ain’t kids no more, doc.  They’re grown now.  Yeah, had the shit not hit the fan and it was just business as usual I’d agree with you about them beings kids.  But shit did hit the fan and they’ve already seen more in the last few days and aged more than if they hadn’t.” Artemis’ voice was impassioned as he defended the twins.

              “Mom, he’s right.” Wade interjected.  “I’m not a kid anymore, neither is Wren.”

              “You are children, and you will do as I tell you.” Emily spun around and pointed her finger in her sons face.

              “We just watched Dad get eaten by our little brother.  We saw our neighbors being chewed on, teachers we had wanted to eat us.  Do you see that outside? There is nothing left of what you’re trying to make us cling to.  It’s  gone, Mom. It’s all gone.” Wade shook his head sadly.

              “I think it would be safer to stay off the Lake.” Wren spoke up, albeit softly. 

              “I can’t believe this!” Emily threw her hands up in the air.  “I can’t freakin’ believe you two are going to start some teenage bullshit right now!”

              “This ain’t teenage bullshit, Mom!” Wade curled his lip in disgust at her accusations.  “This is our survival.”

              “It’s three to one for the land route I take it?” Artemis asked, looking into the rearview mirror to see the twins.

              “Yeah.” Wren nodded.  “Sorry, Mom.  I just don’t want to be out there if something goes wrong.”

              “Fine.” Emily responded through clenched teeth.

              “Alright, I guess we’re heading north.  We’ll either find the help, if it’s there, or we’ll try to find someplace that’s remote and we’ll just lie low there until we figure some things out.  Ain’t no telling how long this is gonna last, that is if the government ain’t planning on stepping in.” Artemis came to a rolling stop and turned left.

              Emily forced herself to keep her mouth shut.  She wanted to tell them they just had to hide for a few more days, but she feared their judgment not to mention their reaction.  Her secret died with Jack and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.  She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed no one would ever know what she did.

              Suddenly guilt frothed angrily within her.  Her work had killed her son, her baby.  Her work killed the man she had loved since she was eighteen.  She had no way of knowing if her parents had survived, her in-laws, her nieces or nephews.  This was the first time her extended family had entered her mind, but her thoughts lingered on her elderly father who was bed ridden.

              Her mother cared for him, her brother came in every afternoon to help in any way he could.  What if he didn’t get there to help?  She swallowed her fear, a giant lump sticking in her throat.  There was no way her frail mother could have defended herself let alone kept her father safe as well. 

              Emily felt like her soul had been ripped from her body.  Her whole being felt vile and poisonous for what she had done, for what she had allowed to happen.  She would go down in history as the worst of the worst to have ever lived.  Her children would have to live with what she had done.  That stuck out in her mind.

              “Mom?” Wade called out to her.  “Mom?”

              “What?” Emily turned to look at her son who was seated on the floor of the cargo space.

              “Want some water?” He held out a bottle of water to her.

              “Thank you.” She smiled and took it, sipping it slowly.  It stung as it poured through her system.  She had never felt the sensation of water causing a fire to scream through her esophagus.  Emily choked on the sip, and quickly capped the bottle and handed it back to her son.

              “You ok?” Wren asked, her brow furrowed.

              “I’m ok, for now.” Emily nodded, and forced herself to give her remaining children a smile.

              “Can I ask you something?” Wade lowered his head momentarily before finding the courage to look his mother in the eye.

              “Yeah, yes, of course you can.” Emily turned in her seat.

              “Back at the grocery store, we heard you and Dad fighting.  What happened?” Wade’s voice cracked mid-sentence. She swallowed hard, avoiding his stare as she recalled the argument between her and Jack.  The guilt rushed back over her, pulling her inwardly into a deep recess from which there was no escape.

              “It was nothing, something stupid that we shouldn’t have been arguing about to begin with.” Her voice was barely audible as she gave the only reply that came to mind.  Her inner voice screamed the truth, it echoed in her brain.  Emily squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could trying to stifle the voice. 

              “But still….” Wade ran his hand through his hair.  “Was it about Jamie?”

              “Yes.  But it doesn’t matter now.” Emily nodded.  Artemis kept quiet, alternating his glance from the road ahead to Emily and to the twins.  Wren had pulled herself to the side of the vehicle and balled herself up.  She had her arms wrapped around her legs, her head laying on her knees.  He furrowed his brow with worry.  Out of the three of them, Artemis found he was worried about the girl.  She would swing between moods, not seeming to accept the world as it was.  He hoped she would pull out of it and decide on her new personality. 

              “We got a bit of a hoard up ahead.” Artemis interjected, attempting to diffuse the tension that had filled the space.

              “You could make that left up ahead and try to go around.” Wade pointed out ahead of them.

              “That’s an idea.  I don’t think it would be wise to try to go through them, not in this piece of junk.  We’re too top heavy.” Artemis shook his head as he spoke, slowing down to take the turn.

              “Do you think they could overturn us?” Emily frowned.

              “Oh yeah.  Well maybe if it weren’t but a few of them, but that many…I just don’t want to find out.” Artemis flashed Wade a reassuring smile.

              “There is something spray painted on the side of that church, slow down.” Wade pulled his upper body up into the cab, narrowing his eyes to read it before they pulled up on it.  “It says, safe haven, Baton Rouge.”

              “I wouldn’t trust it.” Emily crossed her arms. 

              “It’s worth a shot.” Wade turned to his mother and regarded her seriously.  “We have to find a safe place mom, we can’t keep going like this.  Eventually we’ll run out of supplies and ammunition.”

              “That would be the truth.” Artemis nodded.

              “We’ll just look for supplies when we need it.” Emily shrugged.

              “That would just keep putting us at risk.” Artemis gave her a confused look.

              “Oh my god! Fine, just fine, let’s go then.” Emily shouted.  Wren jumped from the sudden yelling, her eyes wide as she looked frantically around.

              “Are you okay back there?” Artemis looked back to her as she clutched her chest in an attempt to slow down her racing heart and heavy breathing.  She nodded but did not verbally reply.  Artemis pressed his lips together before turning his attention back to the road.

Chapter Eleven
 

“Here.” Artemis handed out the cans of food to each of the remaining members of the group.  They all looked like hell.  Their hair was greasy, plastered against their scalp in some places.  Each of them had heavy bags under their eyes, the whites of their eyes bloodshot.  Emily had not spoken again, even after making camp in an abandoned check cashing store.