Barely Alive (18 page)

“
Blech?” Heather arched her brow, leaning closer to me on the bench seat. I loved old cars and their easy access bench seating. Nothing like it.

“
Yeah, like I’m going to throw up in my lap at the thought of all that plain brown stuff.” I made a dry heaving face that didn’t quite go away.

Heather laughed at my disgusted expression. “No, silly. We’re going to the northern part. I bet there’s still snow on the ground.”

James, Connie, and I screwed up our faces like we’d just tasted crap. “At the end of May?” James’s voice rose a couple octaves. I can’t guarantee mine wouldn’t do the same.

She turned and looked at him, noting all of our expressions. “What’s wrong with that?”

“
Honey, I’m freezing cold all the time.” James snapped his fingers and pursed his lips. Weirdo.

“
Yeah, since he was infected, anyway – so what? A day?” I laughed. “Connie, have you noticed a change in your temperature?”

She cracked a small smile. “Yeah, but I welcomed the break from the hot flashes. Seriously, hot flashes in the desert. Not good.”

Okay, gross. The last thing I wanted to hear about was a woman’s issues – menopause or otherwise.

Which worried me. Heather wasn’t on her period. I could tell. But what if she started it? Dominic had suggested things went berserk and didn’t end well with a girl on her period. I didn’t want anything to happen to her, but the longer we stayed together, the more likely she was to get eaten alive.

I tried not to stare, I had to drive. But she was smaller than me, fit into the curve of my arm like she’d been made to match me.

With my free arm, I spun the wheel to the freeway on-ramp. North.

“
Which way, guys? We can go north through Reno or swing out and around through Salt Lake City.” Leaving the questionable safety but relative familiarity of our diseased city had a daunting appeal. Heading out for the unknown. Freaky crap.

The freeway would split at the Spaghetti Bowl, a locally named intersection of exits, on-ramps, and overlapping highways and freeways. It was next to impossible to figure the concrete mess out on the first try. We’d be there in minutes.

Heather gasped and pointed out my window, leaning into me. I didn’t mind.
Really.

Bodies flung themselves from the Stratosphere, a tall Space Needle-replica on the Strip. It was high. So high. And we watched as seven people jumped. Another two. Then three.

As we drove, we put a building between us and the sight. Heather broke into sobs. “Is the whole city lost then?”

“
I think the whole world will be, if we don’t try to stop this infection.” Connie’s face had paled further, if possible.

Dr. Duncan gulped.

James raised his fingers, his mouth half open to speak. A shotgun exploded on the freeway, cutting him off.

To our right, we passed a man surrounded by three of my kind. He tore through the first one’s waist with his blast, his back against a semi-pickup with a flat tire. The driver cocked the gun and shot the middle one, but the one to the side lurched at him and all three fell upon the man while he tried to reload the gun. Even bullets didn’t stop us, apparently.

Heather’s sobs didn’t stop. All of our lips were set and firm.
North.
We’d go through Reno. If this crap was happening here, it might have spread to Salt Lake. And the bigger the city the more zombies or dead bodies. “Let’s do Reno.”

A small chuckle escaped James. “With the three of us freezing, shouldn’t the majority rule and we head to Florida? We could eat sharks and sip on jelly fish all day.”

We smiled. I don’t care why he said it, but I was grateful for the break in the tension. We’d seen too much death. Too much horror. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw the monsters my parents promised didn’t exist.

Would Mom be sickened by my appearance? I hadn’t changed except I was dying. Could she see it? Would she, deep down, still love me? My heart hurt and for a second a heart attack seemed possible. Mom not loving me hurt more than never getting her forgiveness. But I didn’t expect her to love something like me.

The freeway veered to the left toward Reno or right toward Salt Lake.

Left.

As close as Heather was, I felt more than heard her stomach growl. She smacked her hand on her belly and blushed.

Crap. I patted her arm. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so worried about James, Connie, and I eating, I forgot you guys haven’t eaten solid food in a while – Heather for days.” I didn’t know how, but I’d get her food.

She sat up, pulling away from me. “No, it’s okay. I had those nuts and candy bars. I’m fine. Don’t stop just for me.”

Dr. Duncan stayed silent. Was he protesting the food as well or was he silently telling Heather to shut up, he wanted to eat?

Connie leaned across James. “Travis, you need to eat. You know you get faint without something in your stomach.”

Her husband shushed her. “I’m not a baby, Connie. I’m fine.”

She pursed her lips. “I still think you need more iron. Maybe your blood cells aren’t carrying enough oxygen unless your blood sugar is up, or something.”

Travis scowled. “Enough, Connie. My iron is fine.”

Memories of my parents’ fights flashed in my mind. They had always taken offense at the others comments, with or without cause.
So damn annoying.
I pointed at the gas gauge which had slid to quarter of a tank. “Look, we need to get gas anyway. I’ll try to find a grocery store with a gas station or a convenience store. But we need to get out of the city.”

Nobody argued. Nobody agreed either. I didn’t have any money, but, hey, I was a zombie. I didn’t need a wallet, right? It kind of jacked with the whole terror thing to have something so common on hand.

Dr. Duncan spoke up. “Can we listen to the radio? I’d like to know what’s going on.”

Wouldn’t we all?
I flipped on the radio to the same AM station Heather and I had listened to the day before. Everyone settled into place while the commercial about laundry cleaner wrapped up.

The announcer came, harried and speed-talking. “I don’t know that anyone cares about the spots in their shirts right now. Listen, if there is anyone out there who hasn’t been attacked by this terrible gang, please hide. The police are dwindling in numbers as they join the other side. Nothing seems to stop them. They are taking over. I repeat… HIDE. I haven’t been able to leave the station.” The woman hiccoughed, like she choked on a sob. “Rob, if you’re listening, I love you. I wish I was with you. I’m sorry.” She paused. Muffled sobs filled the cab of the Nova, but no one in the vehicle cried.

What would I say in my last minutes? Would I be afraid? Would I go into the fire willingly? Would I need to apologize or have the change to rectify the wrongs I’d committed? Would I regret never having kissed Heather? In just a few weeks, she wouldn’t want to touch me. And I wouldn’t blame her. If she was still alive.

A road sign flashed “
last gas, last rest stop, last food for the next eighty miles, exit in one mile
”.

The woman on the radio collected herself. “I had callers ask yesterday how the gang is getting out of the city and attacking in larger cities. To follow up with their concern, this is some sort of virus or disease, but the details are sketchy, and a few of the victims that survived the attacks on the streets in the last month have been flown to other trauma units with specialists in spinal care and internal injuries in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and even New York. The subsequent attacks occurred at or just outside major hospitals. Some of these cities are in nearly the same situation we are.” Her business tone dropped to a whisper. “If you can get out, do. But at this point, you won’t make it. They’re attacking cars and trucks.”

Heather and I glanced at each other. We’d seen it. She whispered. “I wish we could warn them. Tell them somehow.”

The phone. I’d forgotten all about it. “Do you still have the cell I loaned you?”

Her eyes lit up and she groped herself. Okay, she didn’t grope herself per se, but she patted down the pockets on the pants and produced the small square. “We do. And the battery is more than half full.”

“
Just wait for the sign off to commercials and the phone number will play. You can call and warn her.” I pointed at the exit. “We’ll pull in here to get gas and food.” While I addressed the Duncans, Heather punched in the number that played before the commercials started again. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have a wallet on you or some kind of money?”

Connie shook her head. I wasn’t surprised. Her jeans and blood stained button-up T-shirt wouldn’t hide a purse. James had glanced at her shape a few times, and if I wasn’t so distracted by Heather, I would’ve checked out her form too. She looked good for a chick going through menopause. For any age.

Dr. Duncan shifted his hips up and reached for his back pocket. “I have mine. We don’t have credit cards, just a few debit cards.” Great, he probably didn’t have a lot of money in the account either. Las Vegas wasn’t conducive to saving. I’d watched my mom’s boyfriend squander most of her checks on gambling and cars for quite a while without much effort.

“
We just transferred our savings into checking because we were about to book a trip to Hawaii, but it looks like our trip has been rerouted north.” He laughed and looked hesitantly at Connie. She smiled back at him, but I could see her taking stock of his weight and height. I’d done it myself to Heather a few times. I needed to get us food.
All
of us.

Heather flipped the phone shut. “It’s busy.”

A lone traffic light blinked red at an empty intersection. On the corner through the light, a lone convenience store and gas station stood sentinel. No evidence of a fast food restaurant or a rest stop in sight. So the sign had boasted something more than what was there. Not the first time. And no, gross gas station butt-burritos didn’t count as restaurant food. They barely passed as edible – and I’m a zombie.

The car rolled into the lot. I parked it alongside the furthest pump from the store. If we needed to run, we’d be ready. I climbed out and Dr. Duncan followed. He swiped his card and punched in the code – 2-8-3-3 – I had to note it… what if he died on our trip and I had to take his card? Sick and grotesque that I would prepare for that, but it was even worse that I bit into Heather’s back because she smelled good.

“
Dr. Duncan, I’ll pump. Why don’t you guys run in and get some food and relieve yourselves. Ask the clerk if there are any farms nearby or if they have any raw meat in stock.” I ducked my head to see Heather under the roof. “You’ll want to go with the doctor, Heather. Use the restroom and get enough food that you like to last a few hours. It’d be best if we didn’t have to stop for a bit.”

She nodded and slid out of the passenger side. I popped the gas cap off and slid the nozzle into the opening. Sloshes and gurgles drowned out the chirps of the crickets and cockroaches in the afternoon heat. I raised my head to the sun, baking in the UV for a few moments. I was cold. So cold. And we were going north. Were we crazy or what?

I locked the handle in the autofill position and leaned on the open door, looking at James and Connie. “What do you guys think about looking for a farm or a ranch along the way? We need to get some flesh.”

They nodded. Connie leaned her head back and let out a long breath like she hadn’t been breathing normal for a while. “I’m so glad to get a break from him. He smells so damn good.” She lifted her head and looked at us, her eyes wide and her hands open. “Don’t you think so? He’s lucky I haven’t bitten him yet. I don’t know how much longer I can go without doing it.” She looked out the window and squeezed her eyes shut.

Huh. Maybe she was affected the same way the guys were. I’d never talked to a female version of us, just killed the already-dead one. “Are you horny?”

James jerked his gaze to mine and dropped his jaw. “Paul, shut up. That’s rude.”

I shrugged. “
What?
I know I am. More so than normal. Dominic mentioned that part of his experiments with us had to do with seeing which need would have more control – lust or hunger. I’m just curious.”

She thought about it. Not nearly as offended as James was – the prude. Connie opened her eyes, nodded her head and pointed one finger at me. “Yeah. You know, that’s part of the problem. I want to jump him almost as much as I want to eat him.” I understood the problem. “But it wasn’t like this at the beginning. I just wanted to eat him. Or her. You know? Get the meat in my stomach. Even food didn’t last long, but it tasted heavenly.”

“
Do you think the virus has an effect on the hormones or something?” The gas pump clicked and I gave it a few good squeezes to top it off, then slid it from the car and placed it back in its storage position.

Connie tilted her head. “It might. I think though it affects the brain – maybe the pituitary gland or something. After we ate at the warehouse, I swear I’d never been so clear in my thinking before. It was systematic, everything clicked. Like all the answers to everything I’d ever learned just filled my head. I whipped out a bunch of answers. I’d love to feel like that again. Maybe I could really make progress on the pro —”