It All Comes Down To Zombies: Sarah (5 page)

“Yes, Martha,” Ralph sighed as he started walking back toward the doors they used for an entrance. “Don’t mind Martha. She’s still grumpy because she had to take a cold shower this morning. Of course, if she’d have paid attention when I showed her how to start the genny, she wouldn’t have had to take a cold shower, but she was too busy. Doing what, I couldn’t tell you. It was just me, her, and the genny.”

“This must be your lovely wife,” Sarah smiled and extended a hand toward Martha. “So nice to finally meet you. Mr. Bailey was my favorite teacher in ninth grade.”

“Everyone’s favorite teacher, eh, Ralphy? Did you bang this one, too?”

“Excuse me?” Sarah asked.

“Never mind, dear,” Martha forced a smile that looked as plastic as her press-on nails. “Come inside. We’ll throw together a nice meal, and then you two can tell us what you’re doing here.”

Sarah shot Jimmy a quizzical glance. Jimmy shrugged. They followed Martha inside, shaking their heads.

While Ralph locked up, Martha loudly announced that there would be a community meeting before they walked ‘home.’

“So you’re using the motel as a sort of barracks, then?”

“What better place?” Martha asked without turning around. “Usually, you’d think it’s a cheap piece of shit thrown together to put up cheap people, or people looking for somewhere to lay their head between vacation spots, but not this place. This place is built like Fort Knox to protect business travelers. I used to work here. Brick up the windows, and ain’t nobody getting in. You two are in luck. We’ve got one room left. You’ll have to bunk with me and Ralph tonight, though. We make as little noise as possible at night.”

“We’re not staying.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, we’d like to for the night, if that’s okay, but we were sort of hoping you could spare some gas. I’m trying to find my husband. I’m pretty sure I know where he went, but we’re almost out of gas, and we haven’t been able to find a gas station that hasn’t already been drained.”

“I can’t believe Khalid didn’t have any gasoline in his bunker of a basement,” Jimmy added.

Sarah shot him a look to silence him. Jimmy shrugged apologetically and gestured for Sarah to continue.

“I assume since you’ve got your generator running, you’ve got gasoline,” Sarah said, turning back to Martha. “Do you think we could fill our tank?”

“Oh, Ralph will be glad to hear that. He was worried we were going to have to figure out how to feed two more mouths. Well, then we’ll get you a quick meal, and then we’ll all head home. We’ll set you up with a full tank, a jug, and some hose for siphoning in the morning, and get you on your way. I’m sure there are cars in the traffic jams with gas.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Jimmy exclaimed.

“Uh, Martha? I’m sorry to be a bother, but I’d rather not share a bed with my ex-husband. Is there somewhere else I can sleep?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, darlin. Ralph said you were his girlfriend, and I thought he was being serious.”

Sarah smiled at the woman. “The last time Mr. Bailey saw us, Jimmy was my boyfriend. Maybe he just hoped we were still sweethearts.”

Martha looked Sarah over. “Mhm. Well, let me introduce you to Clarissa. She’s got a spare bed in her room. I’m sure she won’t mind you bunking with her. Jimmy? If you’ll head on over to the coffee shop, you’ll find Mitch there. He’ll be glad to take you in for the night. Have him help you and Sarah find something to eat, too.”

———————

After meeting Clarissa, Sarah slid into the seat across from Jimmy in the coffee shop.

“They seem nice,” Jimmy said.

“Yeah, Mr. Bailey always was pretty cool. Martha’s hilarious. The others are scared shitless, but nice, nonetheless.”

“That Brad…” Jimmy said.
 

“Aww do you have a crush?”

“No, he’s a dick.”

“Ralph says he’s doing it on purpose because he doesn’t trust us. What are we waiting on?”

“Mitch wanted to cook us dinner. I told him we’d be fine with something quick, but he insisted. Said it was leftover from today’s meal, anyway. While we eat, they’re going to gather everyone in here and talk about us, so that should be fun.”

Sarah laughed.

Mitch came out carrying a tray with a couple Bud Lights, some dinner rolls, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Sarah groaned as her mouth started to water.

“How long’s it been since y’all had a real meal?” Mitch asked.
 

“I dunno,” Jimmy replied. “A week? I lost count.”

“Wait, a week?” Sarah asked. “I mean, last night doesn’t count as a real meal, for sure, but it’s been a week? How’s that happen?”

“I never was much of a cook. And I’m sure not gonna go to all this trouble just for me. Last thing I ate before the zombies crashed through my kitchen window was a granola bar and a Milky Way.”

Sarah could tell he was lying, but she didn’t want to press him in front of Mitch. She trusted them as little as they trusted her.

“Well, help yourself,” Mitch said, as he placed the heaping plates on the table. “Let me know if you need anything.”

People started to file in and take seats at the tables around them. Aside from Mitch, Brad, and Clarissa, there were six families with children, a man and woman Sarah’s age who appeared to be a couple, some single adults, a teenage boy whose parents were among the missing, and a few orphaned children who were being cared for by the families and the Baileys.

Sarah and Jimmy tried to ignore them as they shoveled food into their mouths.

“Isn’t it good?” Clarissa asked, as she sat at the table across from theirs.

“It is!” Sarah managed between bites.

“So good,” Jimmy grumbled with a mouth full of food.

“Mitch is the best cook,” Clarissa said. “Can you believe that’s left over from our dinner tonight? Even reheated, it’s delicious. I don’t know how he does it.”

“Hello, everyone.”

Ralph had climbed atop one of the empty tables. Martha was standing on the floor next to him facing the community.

“Sarah, Jimmy, you just go on eating, and never mind us. We just like to talk when things happen so everyone knows what’s going on. Keeps things calm and organized.”

Once he had everyone’s attention, Ralph sat down on the edge of the table the same way he had sat on the edge of his desk in school. Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. A bit of mashed potato shot out of her mouth and landed on Jimmy’s shoulder, which only made her laugh harder. When she realized everyone was staring at her, she covered her mouth and ducked her head at Ralph, encouraging him to go on.

“You haven’t changed much, have you, young lady?” Ralph grinned. “So, nothing eventful happened today. Except that we have these two visitors. I know them both. They were my students years ago. They were good kids, for the most part,” Ralph shot Jimmy an amused look. “I assume they’re good people now. They don’t seem interested in hurting anyone, anyway.”

“I like Sarah. She seems nice.” Clarissa piped up.

Sarah smiled, her mouth too full to offer thanks.

“My wife tells me they don’t plan to stay. This is just a pitstop. Sarah’s looking for her husband. So Sarah’s going to bunk with Clarissa tonight, and Jimmy’s gonna stay with Mitch. In the morning, we’re going to set them up with some gasoline, and they’re going to head out. When they leave, the grocery team’s going to head into town.”

“Who’s going?” Brad asked.
 

“The list’ll be up in the information office in the morning. If any of you big, strapping boys want to volunteer, we’d appreciate it. Jeb, your family’s got breakfast duty. Any questions?”

A woman Sarah hadn’t noticed before asked, “Have you seen anyone on your way here from New York?”

“I ran into some military personnel a few days back,” Jimmy answered. “A guy and his dog. A family on their way to Texas.”

“What about a woman and a little girl?”

“No,” Jimmy said. “Sorry.”

“He had a dog?” a little boy piped up. “And it wasn’t sick?”

“Nope, it wasn’t sick. Nice dog, too. A golden retriever.”

“Oh,” said the boy. “Our dog got sick. Daddy had to shoot him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, kiddo.”

“Me too,” the little boy snuffled, wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve.

The adults had to stifle a laugh.

“What was the military doing?” one of the adults asked.

“Uh, well,” Jimmy started.

Martha cut him off with a pointed glance and turned to the teenager at her side. “Marcus, honey, why don’t you take the kids to the Play Place? Let us old people talk for a while.”

Marcus rolled his eyes, and gathered up the kids.

“Don’t forget your…”

“It’s in my boot, like Mr. Ralph showed me. We’ll be fine, Mrs. Martha.”

Martha smiled. “I’m sure you will, child.”

The children, upon hearing their destination, began to shriek and argue over who got to slide into the balls first. When Marcus finally closed the door after the last one, Martha nodded at Jimmy.

“I didn’t really stick around to find out,” Jimmy continued. “I heard gunshots, and screaming, and…there was a big line of cars between me and the checkpoint, so I turned off at the next exit, and found another way. That’s how I ended up at Sarah’s, actually. Weird twist of fate, I guess.”

Another lie. Jimmy was definitely hiding something.

“Our turn,” Sarah said. “Why are you all here? Why haven’t you headed to the outpost they’ve been chattering about on the radio?”

“Same reason you found another way,” one of the dads responded. “We don’t trust the government.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Jimmy said. He always was good at pretending he was polite.

“Tyrell.”

“I think that’s a good judgment call, Tyrell. I don’t trust the government, either. But according to the guy on the radio, the outpost doesn’t belong to the government.”

“We don’t trust those people, either. Why are they going to all this trouble to round everyone up?  There’s about forty of us here, and we’re struggling to feed everyone, and keep everyone safe. And it’s only been a week and a half since this thing first hit the papers. A week and a half! They say they’ve got a hundred and fifty people within their walls. How are they going to support everyone without government involvement? How?”

“That’s a very good question, Tyrell. I don’t know the answer. How are you folks supporting yourselves?”

“Mostly by searching the stores. But Ralph is teaching us to hunt, and what to watch out for in a sick animal.”