The Dead Divide Us (Book 1) (18 page)

“We get to the Fire Company, get my family and leave. In and out.” Jan said.

Robert noticed Jan was now positive that his wife Fran and his two girls were safe inside the Fire Company. He hoped the alternative scenario was not going to present itself.

“Mom, stay locked inside the truck. If trouble comes, just take off. Don’t worry about us.” Robert said.

“I hope it doesn’t come down to that, but if I drive away how will we meet up again?” Rita asked.

“We need a place to go if we get separated.” Jan said.

“The ball field out past the Bucks Dairy? That isn’t a very populated area to begin with.” Robert said.

“Sounds good. But while we’re in town, we should try to get some gasoline to bring back here.” Jan said.

Jan Goodman took out his mangled bag of chewing tobacco and pitched out another wad. He said goodbye to Rita and told her they wouldn’t be very long. Then Jan climbed up the ridge again and knelt down, waiting for Robert.

Rita sat down on the driver seat of the Bronco again and made herself comfortable. She closed the door and then rolled down the window; while Robert approached the vehicle.

“Mom, Jan is right. We don’t plan on staying down there very long.” Robert said.

Rita turned to her son and smiled, she was hiding all of her fear; and hiding it well at that.

“Jesus, Robert. I’ll be fine here. I’m more worried for you boys.”

“We’ll be fine, but your first line of defense is to put this truck into reverse and drive away. Go right back down the hill, hit Mill Road and head to the ballpark. Keep the window cracked open just a little bit, so you can hear them coming. If there are enough of them, you’ll hear um.” Robert said, still feeling uneasy at the thought of leaving his mother alone. But how could she go with them? It wasn’t an option.

“Just go already; I said I’ll be just fine. Go now, while there is still plenty of daylight left. Plus you don’t want this snow accumulating anymore then it will already be by the time you get back.” Rita said to her son.

Robert turned away and headed toward the ridge to join up with Jan. He wanted to say something to his mother, something about his father. And he almost did turn around and tell his mother that he was sorry that “Pops” died. But he couldn’t. His mind was getting lost in a deep grievance that reminded him all too much of Felicia.

“Robert!” Rita said, as she rolled down the driver side window. Robert turned around, not saying a word. Rita smiled.

“Your father would be proud.” Rita said with confidence.

Robert simply nodded his head and turned back toward the rocky ridge.

He began to climb.

3

Robert put his hand against the wall to brace himself, and then he vomited for the second time in under five minutes. He was only dry heaving because he hadn’t eaten anything today; but it still wouldn’t have mattered where his vomit landed. They were now far into the south pipe of Colton’s ancient sewer system. Old watery waste, brown and black, slopped around as they marched forward. The smell of the old waste tunnels matched that of the infected people, the ones they were trying to hide from. To make matters even worse; the farther they traveled inward, the smaller the tunnel seemed to become. They now had to bend forward just to fit down there in the dark, under a city of the infected. Robert was quickly getting claustrophobic.

“Come on Robert, it doesn’t smell that bad.” Jan said. He was in front, leading Robert to the center of town.

Robert wiped his mouth clean of recent clear bile.

“Does it seem like it’s getting smaller in here? Pretty soon we won’t be able to fit down here.” Robert said, still sounding queasy.

“That’s just your imagination. Now come on, we have to be getting close.” Jan said.

Before they entered the sewer both Jan and Robert had determined that the Fire Company should be a straight shot North, up five blocks and then a quick left at that intersection.

“How many blocks have we traveled?” Robert asked, feeling confident that he had beaten the nausea. But he still had trouble breathing in the dark, tight corners.

“We should only have two more to go. This tunnel is leading us in a direct line.”

“Thank god for that.” Robert said.

A loud splash echoed around them and they both stopped dead in their tracks.

“What was that?” Jan asked.

Robert whirled his head back and forth, trying to see in the darkness but to no avail. Only little slits of light shimmered down from openings in manholes and gutter gratings above.

Light was limited and Darkness was the victor
.

“What direction did it come from? In front or in back?” Robert whispered hysterically.

“I don’t know!” Jan fired back.

It then occurred to Robert that perhaps they weren’t being quiet enough in the sewer. One of the freaks from above probably heard him puking, and then somehow slid down into the sewer. The echoing sound of the splash made it impossible to know if it were in front of them or behind.

“Get back to back with me!” Robert said. He turned to face the direction they came in and touched his back to Jan’s. They both stood still, listening, and ready to attack.

“I don’t hear anything.” Jan said, holding his death-rock high in the air like a cobra before striking.

“Maybe it was nothing.” Robert said.

“It sounded like something Robert, not nothing. Nothing doesn’t make a sound!” Jan said with fearful sarcasm.

Again, they stopped talking and shared a moment of silence. Listening. Listening. Hearing nothing.

“We should have made a torch or something. Why didn’t you have a flashlight in your truck?” Jan asked nervously.

“Let’s just keeping moving forward but stay alert this time. No more loud noises or talking either.” Robert said.

“Well, but I wasn’t the one hacking my guts out.” Jan said, and he began to move forward again. They were silent, moving through the town’s waste. In a way, Robert was kind of glad that it was dark down there. So he couldn’t exactly see what they were walking through.

Suddenly, Jan muffled his own scream and backed up into Robert hard. Robert flew forward, already knowing he lost his balance, already knowing he was diving head first into the trash water. But he still managed to take in a mouthful of that rancid waste. The polluted water was only three inches deep, but in the full second that Robert’s face was submerged, it felt like the river of shit ran three feet deep. Robert quickly got up to his knees, spit out the feces water and desperately tried to grab a breath of fresh air. At that moment he didn’t even care that there was a potential threat of an infected person in the dark sewers with them.

“AHHH! Christ!” Robert yelled as he quickly stood up, spitting and gasping for air.

“Robert! I walked into something, felt like a body on the ground! I think it tried to grab me!” Jan said urgently.

Robert turned around in the tunnel and sided up with Jan; his face still dripping wet with sewage.

“Are you sure? Those things tend to make noise, I still don’t hear anything.” Robert asked.

“I’m sure, it’s fucking big! Trust me.” Jan said frantically.

“Alright, let me lead the way.” Robert said.

Robert shook his head hard slinging the sewage off his hair, much the way a dog does after taking a bath or after coming out of a swimming pool. Robert held out his trusty bat, far in front of him. He began to sweep the tunnel floor from left to right and slowly stepped forward. He was hoping to poke the foreign body before stepping into it.

“We are fucking blind here man.” Jan said, bringing up the rear now.

“No shit. We have to find a flashlight for the way back.” Robert said, then instantly his bat hit something with substance behind it.

“Whoa! Hold up.” Robert quickly said.

“You find him?! Smash him up!” Jan said.

Then not really knowing what he was swinging at, still blinded by the sewer’s darkness, Robert began hammering down on the large fleshy body. There still wasn’t enough clearance above Robert, with hardly any leverage it was hard for him to swing with great strength. Still, he was able to get a few really good hits in. After about ten wild and solid hits, Robert stopped. He looked up and saw that a sewer grating from the street above was now only a few feet ahead of them. Some light was shinning down too.

“You get him? Is it dead?” Jan asked.

Robert didn’t answer Jan. He started to poke around again at the body.

“Well? Hey Robert, where are you man?” Jan asked.

Then Jan saw Robert appear in the dim light ahead, holding his bat up to the light as well. Lying across Robert’s bat was a medium sized raccoon.

“Is this your diseased man? Rocky the raccoon? What a man-eater!” Robert said with harsh sarcasm.

Jan stepped forward in disbelief. He felt horribly embarrassed.

“Oh man, I’m sorry Robert.” Jan said.

“It’s not your fault. It’s the darkness and our imaginations, our minds are playing games with us.” Robert said and then he tossed the dead raccoon off his bat. Its carcass hit the wall with a dead wet flop.

“Let’s keep moving. We’ve already wasted enough time down here.” Jan said.

“Alright let’s go. We gotta be below the Fire Company soon.” Robert added.

The two moved down the tunnel until they were finally sure they came to the intersection of First and Raleigh. The Fire Company should be just slightly to the West of where they currently stood. From above, a manhole cover was letting dim light shine through. A series of metal rungs were embedded on the wall down to where Robert stood.

“Ok, now what?” Robert asked.

“We climb up the rungs to the manhole cover and take a look.” Jan said and he tucked his blood-stained rock into his waistband then began to ascend, up toward the street above. Robert approached the metal rungs and he now found that there was enough room for him to stand up straight. His neck and back cracked as he was finally able to stretch out. And he was indeed thankful for that.

The climb was only ten feet up and Jan reached the manhole cover quickly. Robert now clung onto the rungs, now just below Jan. Jan propped his back against the wall of the vertical tunnel and used two hands to slowly lift up the large circular disk that was the manhole cover.

“Be careful. Those things could be right on top of us.” Robert said cautiously.

“Shit, this thing is fucking heavy man.” Jan said while struggling to lift up the cover. But Jan was able to lift the cover high enough to rest it on the street above, leaving a crescent shaped opening. He then climbed a little higher and looked out onto First Street. Jan had to squint his eyes in the grim and grey light of day; they hadn’t even fully adjusted yet from the darkness of the sewer.

“What do you see?” Robert asked from below, peering up at Jan with fear and wonder.

“Well…” Jan looked around sharply. He took his time, studying all that he could see.

“There are a few infected people just standing around, by the gas station right across the street. Holy shit! Rob, there is a gas can sitting next to one of the cars!

“Nice, we can fill that up and bring it back for the Bronco.” Robert said.

“And the fire company looks clear. Most of the freaks must still be behind us. Rob, I think we can do this!” Jan said confidence.

“The chains on the Fire Company’s back door? How are we going to get inside?” Robert asked.

Since he was much closer now, Jan had noticed that the lock securing the chains looked fairly small and rusted out to boot.

“I can smash that lock open; I’ve broken a few cheap locks like that in my day.” Jan said proudly.

“When we get out of here, you’ll have to explain that story to me. Listen, I’ll run over to the gas station and fill up that gas can quick. You go right for the door and bust that shit open. Do you want my bat?” Robert then asked.

“No way, this rock of mine will still do the trick. One swing and that puppy is fuckin' toast. Just make sure you get that gasoline quick and make your way over to us.” Jan said.

Robert didn’t want to say it, but he had to:

“Jan, I really hope your family is in there. I want to take them to safety too, but listen there is still a chance…”

“I know. I know. Let’s just go and make sure.” Jan said, both of them now settling their minds into a much needed levelheaded consciousness.

“Ready?” Jan asked.

“Go for it.” Robert replied, as he then watched Jan slide the sewer cover open all the way. And for a man of Jan’s size, Robert was amazed that he bounced up out of the sewer with such swiftness and grace. Jan looked around for a second, and extended a hand down to Robert, pulling him up on to Colton’s First Street. Robert had tucked his bat into the back of his hooded sweatshirt, looking much like a holstered samurai sword.               It felt good to be out of the sewer and back on top, but soon the fear of the day came rushing back to Robert as he laid his eyes on a the few infected people across the street.

“Ok, still looks clear. Go. Go.” Robert whispered, and then he took off toward the gas pumps of the Sure-Stop, heavy falling snow pelting him in the face. And then sure enough, Robert saw the red-plastic gas can sitting on the ground next to a blue Geo-Metro. Jan took off in a straight sprint toward the doors of the Fire Company, holding his rock in his right hand. It looked like he was going to take a running shot at the lock holding the chains together.