Stay Dead 2: The Dead and The Dying (18 page)

“
Any other way to cross the
Hudson?”

“
Boat.”

“
That sounds like a better
idea already. Does it not?”

“
At first, sure,” Scott
conceded, “but consider this; all the things that make the bridge
dangerous, are gone, or should be. No one should be left on the
bridge. No people. No deaders. Now that doesn’t mean we can just
drive up it. I’m willing to bet once we get close enough we’ll have
to hoof it.”

“
This keeps getting
better,” Frankie looked around incredulously.

“
Abdul, whattya you think.
You haven’t said shit.”

“
I’m not opposed to the
bridge, but I think the boat sounds like a far better idea. If we
are looking for the simplest solution to go north while avoiding
the dead, than how is the bridge better? I don’t see these things
swimming after us.”

“
Do any of us know how to
drive a boat?”

“
I could manage.” Chuck
said, raising his hand.

“
Okay, we have a captain.
But now we have to find a boat big enough for all of us. Chuck,
would you be able to pilot a boat of that size?”

“
Might be a bit rougher of
a ride, but yeah.”

“
Okay, and if we can’t find
a boat of that size does anyone else know how?”

“
I could run the basics by
whoever would want to give it a shot. It’s really not that tough. I
think we can definitely get across the Hudson. Taking it into the
ocean and up the coast, that’s a different story.”

“
I still think getting to
the bridge would be safer than searching the nearby docks. We would
be going into populated areas. Let’s at least consider it till we
can see what the bridge looks like. We have to go in that direction
anyway.”

“
All right, Scott, take us
to 287 and get us to the bridge. When we get there we need to know
what the hell we’re going to do, so everyone make up your minds by
the time we get there and we’ll take a vote.” Eddie said. “Anyone
have anything they want to bring up now?”

“
Yes. Carrie, the woman
riding with me no longer wishes to ride with me. Is there any room
for her elsewhere?”

“
Nope. Why?”

“
She is a horrible woman.
She was screaming at the children because they are hungry, Alexis
was fighting with her as well, and I slapped her to shut her
up.”

“
Tell her she better get
along. We can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves,” Scott said,
surprised that he’d hit her.

“
Do you have food for the
kids?” Eddie asked.

“
They had some snack food,
but they need a real meal. They are getting restless and if we are
going to foot the bridge, they will need to eat before that. Just
on the physicality of the task. I’m not even sure if they’ll be
able to do that anyway, especially the youngest, Chris.”

“
Shit, I didn’t even think
about that.” Scott said.

“
We can always carry them
on our shoulders, right?” Jon asked.

“
If you’re volunteering
your shoulders, sure.”

“
Well, it doesn’t change
anything now. We still have to get to the bridge. I think we can
get there in under an hour, depending on what 287 looks like
anyway.”

29 NANCY
NEDERMEYER

(back to
top)

Jeff and Walter climbed the stairs,
leaving Laura and Barbara to finish inventorying and putting away
the new supplies.

“
I really hope it’s just
one or two.”

“
You’re starting to sound
like a crybaby.”

“
Nah, just starting to
sound like an old man.”

“
You’ve always sounded like
an old man.”

Walter gave him a light jab in the
kidney, “Shut up and get suited up.”

As Maria escorted the kids upstairs
Walter and Jeff suited up to go outside. Walter slung the rifle
over his shoulder, but hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. The more
he thought about it the more he thought the dead hunted by sound,
and with the evening as quiet as it was, the crack of rifle fire
might as well be a dinner bell.

Armed with a baseball bat and a shovel
the father and son duo stepped cautiously outside. Jeff switched on
his flashlight and held it out in front of him. Jeff led the way
around to the side of the house and Walter followed a few paces
behind him, clutching the shovel and ready to swing.

Scrrrrtch.
Skkkkrrrrrrrtttchhhh.

They could hear the scratching, but
the couldn’t see anything yet. They made to the next corner of the
house. To where the window was in the living room. Jeff ran the
flashlight over the body of dead woman as she turned to acknowledge
them. Her hands and forearms were covered in dried blood. Her hair
was caked to the side of her head and wore a grimace of torn flesh
and cracked teeth. Her body was covered in dirt, blood and bruises.
Her cellulite jiggled as she staggered toward them.

“
Jesus…”

“
I’ll get her,” Walter
said.

Walter stepped up and away from the
house, hoping to draw her to him. Jeff stepped back a bit and she
started moving for Walter, her mouth opening like a torn scab. As
she stepped closer it dawned on Walter that he knew this woman, or
thought he did. She looked a lot like Norman Nedermeyer’s oldest
daughter, who had lived across town. The last time he’d seen her
was over a year ago at Norman’s wake. His thoughts caused him to
hesitate a moment, allowing her to gain a step more than she would
have if he had been staying focused. He stepped back, nearly
stumbling, but was able to raise the shovel before she grabbed him
and knocked her to the ground.

“
You okay, dad?”

“
Fine,” he said, stepping
on the woman’s chest, “remember Nedermeyer who passed away not too
long ago?”

“
Yeah?”

Walter put the shovel against her
throat as if he were about to break ground, “Well, this is his
daughter.” He put his weight down on the blade of the shovel and
drove it though her throat. He had to do it a few more times before
the head came completely off.

“
Nancy?”

“
That’s her. Nancy
Nedermeyer. They had a thing about naming everyone with an
‘N’.”

“
Her brother was Nathan,
and they had a dog named Nestle.”

“
Yeah, I remember Nathan
from school—he used to catch a lot of shit for that. Kids made fun
out of him all the time. Till he turned into a 6 foot hulk of
course.”

“
Well, Nancy, say hello to
your father,” Walter said.

“
I hate how they twitch,”
Jeff commented, pointing at her hands that looked as if they could
be typing something on a keyboard.”

“
It is
unsettling.”

“
Let’s finish the walk, and
then go back around.”

“
After you.”

Jeff led the way again, flashlight in
hand, and Walter just behind. As they walked past Nancy Nedermeyer
her jaw slowly gnashed the air.

The children were in bed with Maria.
They had all put on their pajamas, but there clothes were laid out
on the floor in case they needed to get changed and leave the house
in a hurry. They were under the covers with a candle on each
nightstand, as Maria read them a few small books to help them fall
asleep. They each got to pick one of their favorites, and Maria
read Wally’s first since he usually fell asleep quickly.

Laura and Barbara had just finished
listing all of the new supplies and had put it all away orderly and
kept the stuff that would go bad the soonest towards the front of
the shelves. They had estimated that all the new food and beverages
could buy them, if used somewhat sparingly, an additional two weeks
on top of what they already had.

“
Let’s head upstairs
sweetie,” Laura said.

“
I’m ready for
bed.”

“
You should get some rest
while you can.”

“
Easier said than done.
Seems like the more I sleep the more times I wake up with
nightmares.”

“
I would suggest you take
something, but I guess nowadays that would be a bad idea. We need
to be able to get out quickly if we need to, and I doubt your
brother would want to carry you over his shoulder while you were
snoring.”

“
I don’t snore.”

“
Not lately, I
guess.”

30 END OF THE
ROAD

(back to
top)

As they drove along the New York State
Thruway on 287 the road began to clog up. The southbound side was
the equivalent of a parking lot. Scott slowed down and continued
forward.

“
It’s already getting
really congested,” Scott said.

“
Getting pretty creepy. The
slower we drive through it the more I expect to see someone in one
of the cars,” Judy said.

“
Do you know how much
further it is?”

“
It’s not that much
further. I think it’s only a few more miles. We should be able to
see it any minute.”

“
I doubt we--”

“
Shit!”

“
What? What is
it?”

“
End of the road. This is
as far as we can drive.”

“
Fuck, man.”

“
What are we going to do
Scott?”

“
Turn around, or walk
it.”

“
How far of a
walk?”

“
Might be only 10 or so
miles to the bridge.”

“
So that would take us how
long to walk?” Dawn said, trying to figure out the math in her
head.

“
If it were just us adults
I’d say only a few hours. But there’s no way the kids could keep up
with us.”

“
What if we were to carry
them, or have them sit on our shoulders?”

“
At best we’d have to take
turns, it would be quicker than having them walk it, but I remember
taking my niece to the mall a few years ago when she was a toddler,
I had her sit on my shoulders. We walked around like that for maybe
40 minutes. My neck was soar and my lower back was killing
me.”

“
Well, we’ve got to do
something. We also need to make up our minds.”

“
That’s right. Eddie wanted
us all to know if we would stick to the bridge or try for Palisades
Park. This may be scary. It’s dangerous as hell, but there’s no
promise that going for the Palisades will be any better. I say we
try for the bridge.”

“
Yeah, fuck it, let’s go
for the bridge,” Jon-Jon said.

“
I’m in.” Dawn
said.

“
I’m in too. Janice, we
understand if you want to talk it over with your sons.”

“
Thanks Judy. I’ll vote for
the bridge as well, though. And if I know my sons they’ll be
thinking the same thing. My husband always used to say ‘no guts, no
glory’.”

“
Good motto, don’t know if
the old me would’ve agreed though.”

Inside the next vehicle a very similar
discussion was going on.

“
We should just go for the
boats. Get out on the water. We’re not going to see any deaders
yachting it up.”

“
I agree with flip-flops.
The bridge is too fucking dangerous.”

“
Fuck that. It’ll be more
dangerous getting to a marina than getting to the
bridge.”

“
Okay, assholes, listen. It
looks like one way or the other, we’re walking to the bridge. From
there we can scope out the marinas or the docks, or whatever. We’ll
be able to see what we’re getting into and we can course correct
then. The decision might be made for us when we get
there.”

“
What if we can’t agree? Do
you think we might split off?”

“
I don’t know Chuck. Let’s
go find out,” Eddie said as he opened the car door.

“
This should be fucking
great.”

Carrie folded her arms and shook her
head, “No. No freakin’ way am I walking to a goddamned bridge! Have
you all lost your mind?”

“
Look, everyone is getting
out of their vehicles. We are all going, if you want to stay here
by yourself that’s your decision.”

“
What about the kids? You
think they’ll be able to keep up with you? You’ll get them all
killed.”

“
Now you care about what
happens to them?”

“
You take them out there
like this and you might as well put a gun to their heads
now!”

“
That’s enough. I’m taking
them out now. You want to help keep them safe then step up and come
out with us.”

“
You’re insane. You’re all
nuts.”

Abdul handed her the keys, “Good
luck.”

She then went on a tirade, screaming
about how stupid they were and how dead they would be.

Abdul moved to the back of the truck.
He rummaged through the supplies they had and started organizing a
pack to take with him. Alexis lead the kids out of the truck and
joined him, doing the same. The kids started running around and
acting up. Carrie sat in the passenger seat staring out the window
with a look of contempt smeared across her plump face. Her cheeks
were red from yelling.