Stay Dead: A Novel (25 page)

Susan came back into the room with their
toothbrushes and a bag full of toiletries. She threw them on the
bed and then headed right for her closet. Dane snapped shut his
suitcase satisfied with his selections.

“Okay, that’s done,” he said. “Now I’m going
to go put whatever food and water I can into the truck.

“All right, go ahead. I’m almost done in
here.”

***

Davis ran out of ammunition and also ran out
of rage. He jogged away from the oncoming hoarde and headed back to
his truck, grabbing the ham radio.

“Where the fuck is everyone? Officer down! I
repeat Officer down! The situation is out of control I need
immediate back-up!”

The radio remained silent. He tried again to
no avail and began to slam his fist on the steering wheel. He
turned the ignition and sped away as fast as he could.

***

“Can’t you get that thing to work, man?”
Keith asked.

“I’m trying, but I can’t do much without any
tools,” Topher replied.

“Fuck. I can’t believe this is happening.
It’s like they all planned this. You know? Why are they in such a
huge group?”

“I don’t know, it doesn’t make sense. They
don’t communicate with us, so could they communicate with each
other? Is that possible?”

“Who knows? I just hope we can get to Bruce
in time,” Keith said, driving as fast as he could.

They zigzagged through the countless
staggering dead that had come to town. They were everywhere. Some
of the townspeople were outside fighting them with whatever they
had. One man was fighting them off with a shovel, another with a
garden rake. Others simply took to their cars and fled.

Where are they going? Keith wondered. The
dead are everywhere.

“I think I was better off at the power
station,” Topher said, fumbling at his beard.

Keith tried to think of something reassuring
to say to him, that he’d made the right decision. But he wasn’t
sure if even he did agreed with the decision.

Two more minutes. Two more minutes and they’d
be at the VFW hall. He just hoped that Davis could last that
long.

***

Clem and Danni stared out the windows as the
bloodied man approached the station. His hand clutched his throat
which was bleeding terribly. His steps were tired and feet heavy,
almost dragging on the pavement. In his right hand he held his
service weapon at his side.

“Should we lock the door?” Clem asked.

“I think he’s a cop,” Danni replied. “I
remember seeing him at the station the yesterday. He’s awful messed
up, though…might not be safe. But what choice do we have?” Danni
replied.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.
I guess if he turns we can handle him, especially if its just him.
I don’t see any body else coming.”

“Guess you’re right. If he turns, at least we
can get his gun out of the deal,” she said. She felt heartless even
as the words left her mouth.

“Good thinking.”

Clem went out the door, slowly approaching
the man. “You need some help?”

The man nodded.

“Can you talk?” Clem asked.

“Yeah,” the man said.

“What’s you’re name?”

“Jones,” he replied.

“What happened, Jones?”

“Those things got me. They’re
everywhere.”

“Shit. Let’s get you inside.”

Jones nodded, still clutching his bleeding
wound.

Clem walked him inside as Danni held the door
open. They sat Jones down. Danni rushed to get some wet paper
towels while Clem looked for something to act as a bandage. Jones
got up and walked over to the ham radio. It was turned off. He
flipped it back on and grabbed the handset.

“The roadblocks are compromised…zombies
everywhere…” he managed.

“Jones? Is that you? This is Davis…where the
hell are you?”

“Yeah, it’s Jones. I’m at the station…don’t
come here…fading fast, man…those things’ll be here too, soon
enough.”

“God damn it! Sal’s gone. You’re hurt, I
haven’t heard from anyone else…was anyone with you?”

“Yea…all dead…haven’t seen Dane, or Keith,
though.”

Danni came back with a bunch of wet paper
towels and began to clean up his wounds. She touched him gently,
but he winced regardless. Clem came back with a gauze pad and some
duct tape.

“Best I could find,” Clem said.

“Good enough,” Jones replied. He didn’t care
one way or the other: he knew his time was short.

“Jones…how many deaders do you think you came
across?” Davis asked.

“Over a hundred easy.”

Driving as fast as he could, Davis kicked
himself. Damn, we really are being overrun, he thought to himself.
He was heading to the station, despite his inclination and warning
from Jones.

***

“We’re all packed up, let’s get the hell out
of here,” Dane said.

Susan nodded as she grabbed the last bag of
belongings and pulling Cher on her leash. She barked excitedly,
thinking they were going out for a walk. She took one last look
around. Her heart hurt at the thought of never setting foot into
her home again, but she knew it would hurt more if she stayed.

She’d gotten this far in life by trusting her
feelings, and though many might say it wasn’t far at all, she
couldn’t be happier with how her life had turned out. Sure, there
were things in her life she could have done without, the dead
coming back for one, but she was healthy and loved and that was all
she needed.

She looked to Dane and their eyes met and
spoke what their mouths couldn’t. She nodded, and left the room,
looking back quickly once more.

Upon getting to the car Susan noticed the
dead in the distance. Cher barked wildly, puffing up her chest as
if to intimidate the dead. They were shambling about, some were
moving closer to them while others were moving toward the other end
of the street. Could they see her? she wondered, shivered at the
thought. She tossed her bag in and followed right behind it. Dane
closed the door and drove off.

“They’re all over town, now. What do you
think is happening, Dane?”

“I think we’re leaving and it doesn’t fucking
matter, okay?”

“You don’t have to be like that,” she said as
she stared out the window.

“No, I don’t, you’re right, but… I just feel
like we’re damned if we go and we’re damned if we stay. We might
not be any better off if we leave.”

“I know, but trust me, it’ll be worse if we
stay. You know how you’re knee hurts when its about to rain?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, it’s kinda like that, but picture the
dead as rain.”

“Yeah, but my knee feels fine.”

“I’m not talking about your knee--I’m talking
about me!”

“Do you ever make sense?” Dane smiled.

“Shut up--Oh, God, Dane look out!”

A little dead boy shuffled into the street.
His shoe was on crooked, just barely on at all, and his shirt was
covered in filth. Flies swirled around him with no fear of being
swatted away. Dane almost ran him over, and he wouldn’t have
minded. But Susan’s reaction caused him to slam on the brakes.

She wasn’t as used to seeing the dead up
close. She had stayed inside most of the time since it all began.
They were still new to her and she stared at the boy with wet eyes,
a quivering lip, and a newly found pity for the dead.

The dead boy staggered closer, reaching his
hands toward the window. His stubby ripped finger tips streaked the
glass as Susan stared into the boy’s eyes. They were void of
emotion, but the dark bags under them spoke of a bitter sadness.
Dane reached for her hand as the wheels of the car began to roll
again. Cher growled at the little boy, ready to pounce through the
window if she had to.

***

“Where the fuck did everyone else go?” Eddie
asked.

“Wish I knew, man,” Jon-Jon replied. “People
just left…and to tell you the truth we did too.”

“Well, at least you came back for us,” Joseph
said, grateful that they had come back.

“So, what, everyone just scattered? They just
took off just like that?” Eddie said, growing angry and hurt.

“Like I said…wish I knew,” Jon-Jon said,
keeping his eyes on the few vehicles they were following.

“Hey, uh…kid. Sorry, I forgot your name…”
Joseph started.

“Yu-Yussef,” the boy said, but could barely
be heard.

“Right, Yussef, did you see what happened to
Alexis?”

Yussef shook his head, keeping his eyes to
the ground. Dawn looked apologetically at Joseph, knowing he cared
for her and not knowing what to say to him. She wanted to tell him
that she was okay, and that they all meet up again soon, but she
couldn’t do that. She knew that there was a very good possibility
she was dead. She finally managed to say, “I didn’t see her, Joe.
It was so crazy, everyone was running around like lunatics…getting
into whatever car they could and taking off.”

He nodded. Joseph couldn’t see Alexis just
taking off, though. Especially leaving behind one of the kids. She
could have been extremely flustered and not have counted them,
assuming they had all followed her and maybe even now she was
looking for the lost little boy. He doubted it, but wondered
nonetheless where and how she was.

He wouldn’t admit openly but he could feel
her absence in his gut. He’d grown to like her a lot over the past
few days, which was unusual for Joseph. He was a young guy who
never cared much for the attachment of a girlfriend, but in a world
overrun by the dead he was beginning to see the upside to having
one, and he really wanted one. But as luck would have it she was
nowhere to be found. The grief he felt for his father and siblings
had to be playing a role in his emotional attachment as well.

***

Alexis sat in the backseat of an SUV. She
didn’t really know the folks she was driving with well, but
remembered their names. Abdul-Ba’ith was driving the vehicle. Next
to him in the passenger seat was the constantly hysterical chubby
woman who Alexis thought was named Carrie, but couldn’t recall. She
was getting on everyones nerves and only adding to the children’s
growing anxiety.

Alexis sat in the back with most of the
children she had taken care of in Gerty’s absence, and now missed
her even more. She thought that if Gerty was still around she
wouldn’t have lost one of the kids in all the commotion. She hated
herself for leaving but couldn’t risk the lives of the rest of them
for the sake of one. She could’ve stayed and left the kids alone
with the folks from the gas station, but she didn’t know them well
enough and after being in the truck with them for the last few
minutes she knew Carrie would be useless and Abdul would have his
hands full. He was quiet, and seemed put together. But could she
trust this man who looked like a terrorist to take these kids to
safety? She couldn’t make that decision. She had to have faith that
someone else from her group would have taken Yussef to safety. She
had to. She had to have hope and faith, otherwise she didn’t see
the point in trying to survive.

She held Leela in her lap with her arm around
Chris, patting his head as they cried gently. Nick and Stacey cried
as well, but their eyes were glued to the rear window.

“Where are we going?” Alexis asked.

“I don’t know,” Abdul-Ba’ith replied, looking
at her in the rearview mirror. “I’m just following the cars
ahead.”

“I’m not sure any of them no where to go. We
all just took off right? Did you hear anybody say anything?” She
asked.

“No. No one said anything, they just took
off, I just figure they didn’t want to tell me,” Abdul-Ba’ith
replied.

“Oh,” she said, unsure of what to say next.
“There’s no one behind us and I don’t see any of those things
around,” she said. “Maybe we should pull over and wait to see if
anyone else has come this way?”

“Sure, that sounds good,” he replied.

“What? No!” Carrie screamed. “Let’s follow
the others, lets stick with them!”

“Please relax,” Abdul-Ba’ith said, “they’re
just driving blind: they have no plan.”

“That doesn’t mean we should stop on the side
of the road and lose the only other people we know,” she cried.

“We don’t know any of those people,” he said,
pulling over to the side of the road.

“Others will come this way,” Alexis spoke
softly. “You’ll see. The ones who stayed to fight. The ones who
have a real plan, not the ones who were quick to leave.”

“This is bullshit!” Carrie yelled, crossing
her arms.

“Bullshit or not. We’re waiting,”
Abdul-Ba’ith glared at her, his patience almost at an end.

***

Davis saw a car approaching in the distance.
It was a police cruiser and it was speeding forward. Davis slowed
down and the other car did the same as they neared each other.

“Bruce!” Keith yelled, as he got out of the
cruiser.

“Holy shit am I glad to see you,” Davis
replied.

Topher got out as well but stayed behind the
door, his head spinning around to keep an eye out for any
zombies.

“Talk to me,” Davis said.

“These fucks are all over town, man. It’s
like they just appeared out of nowhere. We were digging near the
roadblock, right, and then they were on the road, coming out of the
hills. Then I heard Jones on the radio. He had them everywhere as
well. So we tried to kill some of them off and, before we knew it,
they were getting close and we were running out of ammo. My radio’s
all fucked up, the cruiser’s just about shot to shit and now we’re
here.”

“That was a mouthful. So you weren’t with
Jones?”

“No. Haven’t heard from him either, have
you?”

“Yeah…he’s at the station. He’s…been bitten,
and everyone he was with is dead.”