My Dead World (5 page)

Half way through the second round of Neil Sedaka’s greatest hits, we hit the main strip that led to the campgrounds. Mountain Road. If we stayed straight, we’d hit Big Bear. Just before Big Bear property was a slight turn, if you didn’t know where you were going, you’d miss the single lane, unnamed road that went to my father’s cabin. The entire property, including that road, was my fathers. Forty feet or so after the turn was a gate, then a thick, tree lined drive to the main portion of the property. It was hidden, private and I believed safe.

As we drove up Mountain Road, it became evident we weren’t the only people with the run, hide and wait it out plan. Many cars, loaded with baggage and camping supplies headed to the hills. A part of me was worried, the more people around, the more chance of infection. We left the city to be away from that.

It was habit to make that turn off of Mountain Road and not think twice about it. My father did, then slammed the brakes.

“Son of a bitch,” my father blasted.

“Pappy why is that car there?” Addy asked.

Parked by the gate was a car. It was unusual because no one but us came up that road.

“Is the gate still closed?” I questioned.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything,” My father replied. “How you feeling right now, Niles?”

“I’m good.”

“Come with me.”

“Earl,” Lisa grabbed his arm as he reached between the front two seats. “Who knows about your cabin? Maybe it’s someone you know?”

“I gave no one permission. We can’t be too careful. Lock the doors” He instructed Lisa, then opened his door. “Niles.”

Stepping from the back seat I gave Addy a reassuring look, then opened the door. As soon as I got out my father handed me the handgun.

“What are we doing?”

“Someone is in that car,” he said and pointed.

I could see movement in the small compact car.

“We need to know why they are here. They may have sent someone ahead, jumped the gate. Just watch my back.”

That was almost laughable. Watch his back? My father was an expert marksman. He had two weapons, both Remington’s, a rifle and shotgun. The rifle, he had for decades, the other maybe seven years. He favored the rifle. It was loaded and I heard the hammer click onto place. He truly wasn’t taking any chances.

I flipped off the safety on the pistol and followed.

We walked slowly and cautiously. From the outline of the figure in the car, it appeared to be a woman. Immediately, my thought process went to what my father had said. They probably parked there and someone ran up to the property. They couldn’t drive through, the gate was locked.

My father walked up directly behind the car, took a wide step out, and swung forth his rifle directly at the car. He was going to scare the person, find out what was going on. Neither him nor I expected the person in the car to lunge violently at the window.

It was a woman. Her hair was matted and she wore a super hero tee shirt. She was probably really pretty at one time, young too, maybe twenty. Her face was pale, the skin on her cheeks seemed to split, as if outraged she slammed her hands against the driver’s window each time she flung herself violently forward. She had a bloody bandage on her forearm.

My father stepped back.

The woman was relentless. She tried with diligence to get us.

“I don’t think she can get out,” my father said. “Or she would. Look at her eyes, Niles.”

I did. The woman’s eyes were red, and a stream of bloody tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn’t saying words, but her mouth moved. Over and over she charged for that window. On the third time, she opened her mouth, and it looked like chocolate syrup seeped out of her mouth.

“This is what happens.” My father said. “This is what your brother meant about putting them out of their misery.”

Immediately, I looked back to the SUV and thought of Paul.

“What should we do with her?” I asked.

My father looked around. “There might be more. Let’s get everyone to the cabin, get them secure and then you and I will come down and deal with this. If she gets out we don’t want her near the cabin.”

I nodded my agreement.

“Unlock the gate,” he instructed as he went back to the SUV.

I couldn’t help but look at that woman, her focus never left me. Did she know what she was doing? Was the real her somewhere inside screaming for help?

I undid the digital lock on the six foot gate. The SUV drove slowly by the abandoned car and I watched Addy just stare at the woman. Once my father was through I secured the gate again, and got into the SUV.

My father didn’t say it, and neither did I, but I was sure that woman wasn’t alone. Someone else was around, but where?

<><><><>

I saw no one on the road or even in the surrounding woods, as we drove the half mile to the cabin. I was looking, so was Lisa. There wasn’t a soul. At the top of the hill was the privacy fence my father erected around the cabin. It was tall, the barbed wire had not been placed on it yet. The lock and chain looked untouched. I had added them to the lock already on the fence as extra security.

After opening the gate, securing it again when we were through, we parked the SUV.  Paul wasn’t any better and after seeing the woman in the car, I was increasingly concerned with leaving him alone or anywhere near the girls. If he was going to turn into some vile and violent creature, we had to be ready. I prayed that he was only suffering from an infection and the antibiotics we had at the cabin would break what ailed him.

Paul told me he could walk, but I noticed he was weak. My father was his crutch, and Lisa held the girls close to her as we approached the front door of the cabin.

“Hold onto Paul,” my father said. “I’ll go in.”

“No, I got this.” I said. Not that I was particularly brave. But I honestly didn’t think anyone was in the cabin. The front door was closed and as I discovered, still locked.

I had done it so many times it was natural, no fumbling. Maybe that was why it took me by surprise to see the man standing in the center of the living area.

He looked just as shocked as me when I stepped inside. He knelt on the floor and from what I could see was an open garbage bag, a box next to that and a duffle bag. My mind was trying to process the fact that the man was an intruder and stealing from us.

Opening the door was a habit, pulling out my pistol wasn’t as smooth. I was filled with rage, anger, and fear for my family. Lisa shrieked a short scream when she saw him.

Hand shaking, I extended my gun and shouted. “What are you doing here?”

His hands immediately went up in surrender mode. “Please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Don’t shoot.”

He wasn’t a young man, maybe in his mid thirties. It was hard to tell with the unshaven face. He wore a jacket over a hoodie and he kept his eyes on me. I wanted to think he looked harmless, especially wearing a backwards baseball cap. But he was in my home. Stealing from us.

“You heard me,” I repeated. “What are you doing here?”

My father blasted. “If you don’t shoot him, I will. Shoot him, Niles, shoot him in the goddamn head!”

“No!” the man squealed out. “Please.”

I shifted back the chamber on the pistol. I honestly didn’t have it in me to shoot him. I wanted him to just say he’d leave, but he wasn’t moving.

Again, he shouted, “No.” For me not to shoot him. “I didn’t know anyone was coming.”

“You broke in. You were stealing our stuff,” I said.

“I swear to God this is my stuff. I brought it. I swear,” he said nervously. “I didn’t break in. I’m not armed. I’m not.”

My father asked. “Then how did you get in?”

“The spare key. The one that is under the box of porno magazines in the well house.”

Not only did I look back at my father, but Paul in his sick state glanced up at him.

“What?” My father defended. “They’re very old.”

“I didn’t even know there was a spare key,” I said, then looked at the stranger. “So how did you?’

“The same way I found this cabin. The guy guarding the gate at Big Bear told me about it and the spare key.”

“Son of a bitch,” my father blasted. “Boswick.”

“Mr. Boswick who runs Big Bear?” I asked. “He knew where the spare key was?”

“Well, Niles, yes. I was getting old. I didn’t want to die up here and no one find me for months. I always let him know when I was up here alone. He knew the location of the spare key to check on me if he didn’t see or hear from me.”

“Can I put my hands down?” the stranger asked. “I have no weapons. Nowhere else to go and I’ll share my stuff. I will. Just don’t make me leave.”

I nodded that it was all right, and I disengaged my weapon, popping the shell from the chamber before lowering it and turning to my father.

My father was a good man, not as callous as he put on.

Then Lisa said in a soft voice, “With Paul sick, we can use the help securing the fence.”

“How do we know if we can trust him?” my father asked.

The stranger spoke up. “I have ID. I can …”

“A lot of goddamn good that will do me. Here …” my father said with irritation. “Help me with him. I want off this porch before binocular wearing Big Bear campers get an eyeful.”

“Yes, sir,” the man stood right up and hurried to the door.

I took Katie from Lisa’s hip so she could come in with Addy. The stranger stepped on the porch to help my father.

The second his hand touched Paul, he retracted it and looked at me. “He’s fevered.”

“No shit,” my dad said. “Just help me inside with him.”

Paul was barely walking, his legs dragged more than moved on their own. The cabin had two couches and the stranger and my father placed him on one. I closed and locked the front door.

“Do you have a first aid kit? A good one?” the stranger asked as he positioned Paul to lay on the couch. “Never mind. Next to the gray duffle is a red case, can you get it for me?”

I didn’t know what he was talking about. I went over to his stuff and I finally saw it under the opening of the garbage bag. How did I miss it? It was a red rectangular bag, larger than a backpack, with a medical insignia on it. I lifted it; it was pretty heavy and carried it to the stranger.

“Thanks.” He scooted the bag to him and opened it.

We still didn’t know anything about the man in our cabin. Other than he found the spare key and upon being given permission to stay, immediately acted as if he knew how to medically treat, Paul. Whether he did or not remained to be seen, just like his identity. Both of which, I figured, we’d learn soon enough.

“Brian,” the stranger said, “Brian Cade.” He sat on the floor by the couch, but immediately stood, accepting the mug of coffee presented to him by Lisa. “But everyone just calls me Cade or Cap. Thank you, Ma’am for the coffee.”

“Cap?” My father asked, then pointed to his head. “Because of the baseball …”

“No.” he smiled. “No, that’s a boyhood habit. Cap, because I was a Captain at a Engine House. I was DC FEMS.”

“Well, I’ll call you Brian or Cade,” my father said. “Cap of the DC FEMS makes you sound like you belong to some sort of gay superhero club.”

“Oh my God,” I winced. “You’re horrible. So Cap, I mean, Cade … is that’s how you knew all this?” I indicated to the fresh bandage and the intravenous line he had set up for Paul.

“Yes.” Cade brought the mug to his lips and sipped. After he did, he coughed in surprise. “This is spiked.”

“Oh.” Lisa said surprised. “You didn’t want it that way? I can …”

“No.” he shook his head. “No, this is fine. Thank you.”

“Earl?” Lisa brought the girls closer to her. “Why don’t I take the girls to the sewing room and we’ll get that ready for Paul.”

My father looked down at Paul. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Clear the room, we’ll bring the couch back there. Don’t think we should let the kids on the couch. Or am I over reacting?” He glanced at Cade for an answer.

“I think that’s smart,” Cade said.

Once Lisa and the girls left the room, my father said, “well, Cade, you’re a long ways from home, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir, I am. Hating to admit it, I bolted.” He drank his spiked coffee, looking back and forth between me and my father as he spoke. “But this thing, the news doesn’t show or tell you what is going on. You got those who catch it like a bug, they get sick, they start to deteriorate, and just when you think they’re about to die, they get violent. They’ll lunge from a bed, tear your throat apart and not let go, like a pitbull. And then there’s the ones that get attacked, they either get the flu then turn, or die from their injuries. I haven’t seen anyone just get violent from it. There are stages.”

“My brother works with the CDC,” I said. “He told us that the ill will eventually just die on their own, to wait it out.”

“I can see that. I mean, once this thing fully takes hold of the brain, people lose all ability to do normal things. They move, walk, but have a hard time opening doors. They don’t eat or drink. So if the sickness doesn’t kill them, dehydration or starvation will.”

My father waved a finger. “If they’re biting people, they may be eating flesh. Don’t rule that out.”

“Dad,” I winced. “Bobby said they aren’t undead.”

Cade commented. “It’s pretty close.”

My father nodded. “So it’s bad in DC?”

“Yeah,” Cade replied. “It’s real bad. No one told us what to expect. Sick came into the hospital, we weren’t told they turn violent. I mean what do you do? Everyone thinks it’s easy to shoot one, but try raising a gun and aiming it at your friend or coworker. It’s not easy because you know they are alive and believe they are in there somewhere. So I left. I grabbed my sister and we left. My father lives in Erie.”

“Where is your sister?” I asked.

Cade paused, lowered his head some and cleared his throat. “She was attacked by one in DC. I thought I could help her, instead of taking her to the hospital because it was dangerous, we headed up here. But she got really sick in the car. I remembered the campsite and thought about bunking there. I didn’t want my parents to see her like that. But that Boswick guy saw she was sick, wouldn’t let us in and told us about this cabin.”

“Wait. Wait. Wait.” My father waved out his hands. “Your sister was sick. I didn’t see a car. Is that your mess down at the bottom of my driveway?”

“Dad!” I scolded. “Tact.”

“Tact my ass. Is that her?”

Cade closed his eyes. “Yes. She turned right after we left the campsite. I didn’t know what to do. I … didn’t have a gun. So I locked her in the car.”

“Jesus.” My father turned and swung out his arms. “You can’t leave a violent infected out there. That mess should have been cleaned up.”

I wanted to crawl in a hole, my father was referring to a living being, Cade’s sister, as a mess.

“What was I to do?” he asked. “Bludgeon her to death? It’s not an easy option to kill someone you love. It’s not. You’ll … you’ll…” he stopped talking and didn’t finish his sentence. But his eyes did, he looked at Paul.

I inhaled deeply. “So you think he has it?”

“I believe he does,” Cade replied. “Just by the necrosis of his skin.  I have him hooked up to fluids. I think that’s slowing it down. I only have one more bag. Maybe … maybe if we pump him with fluids and antibiotics, we may be able to stop it or something. I know the hospitals in DC would stave it off for a while. But without more IV bags, he’ll probably turn violent sooner than later.”

“Bobby, my brother,” I lowered my voice. “Said to … he thinks we should end his suffering early.”

Cade shook his head. “Can you? Can you look at your husband and do that? I couldn’t.”

“Neither could I,” my father said. “I told you earlier, Niles. He’s family and we cross that bridge when we get to it. We won’t … we won’t lock him in a car somewhere at the bottom of someone’s driveway.”

I cringed. “Dad.” Then gave an apologetic look to Cade.

“It’s fine. Let’s focus on what we can do about the fluids.”

“There’s a hospital in Evans City. That’s about twenty miles away,” I said. “We can make the run down there. Maybe they’ll give us stuff.”

“If not, I can hit the EMS. I’ll be happy to go with you,” Cade said. “After we get him moved into the other room and secure him, we’ll go.”

“Dad?” I asked.

My father groaned. “Yeah. Go. I’ll hold down the fort here. When you get back, him and I start securing that fence. If things get worse out there, the infected aren’t the only ones I worry about.”

“Before we do,” Cade said. “Can I borrow your pistol?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Your father is right,” he looked at my dad. “I need to clean up my mess.”

<><><><>

There was no amount of bravery to draw upon. Nothing to prepare him for that moment. I went with him, just in case. I should have let my father go, he was more equipped to take care of Cade’s sister than I was. Then again, that was the same reason I left my father behind. If Paul turned, my father would take care of him quicker than I would.

We decided to drive down, it would be faster and safer. While unlocking the fence, I heard the sound of two gunshots. They echoed through the valley making it hard to pinpoint where they came from. Just two shots. Then silence. It was enough to make me nervous. Did they come from Big Bear? If so, was there trouble or infected there?

I guessed anytime a gun was fired, we would hear it. It was always that way, especially during hunting season.

Within a few minutes of being on the driveway, I spotted the car off to the side of the road and slowed down.

“What is her name?” I asked.

“Julie. Why?”

“I like to mention names when I say a prayer.”

“Thank you.”

I stopped the SUV a few feet from the car. Cade was checking the weapon and we both opened the doors and stepped out at the same time. How was he going to do it? Shoot through the window? Or let her out. Those questions ran through my mind. However, the second we walked near the car, those questions were replaced with, “Where did Julie go?”

The doors to the car were all closed and it was evident that she must have pounded on the driver’s window until it shattered. Broken glass was on the ground, shards of glass poked up from the window frame of the door, and a trail of blood ran down the side of the car from her climbing out.

She was out and loose, and my insides trembled.

“Get back in the SUV,” Cade said.

“But …”

“Now. It’s safer. Go.”

I looked around, making sure I didn’t see her, then I backed up and ran to the SUV, slamming the door. My left hand gripped the steering wheel, while my right rested on the gear shift. I was ready.

Cade had the weapon. If she ran out, attacked him, no matter how hard it would be, I planned on gunning it. Barreling the heavy SUV into them. It would be the only way to ensure she came nowhere near my family. I didn’t know Cade. I didn’t know if he was capable of handling Julie, or ‘cleaning up his mess’.

I watched as he looked around, moving cautiously, calling out her name softy.

Then she appeared.

I swore when I saw her again, my heart dropped to my stomach.

A ten foot distance separated them and they stared at each other.

Julie’s shoulders bounced up and down as her head went left to right. I was certain Cade believed she was trying to recognize him, but I saw that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t familiar with him, she was sizing him up.

Do something, Cade
, I pleaded in my mind,
Do something.

My eyes went from Julie to Cade. His arms trembled and his face was red with emotion. He was waiting on something.

Then it happened. With the most ungodly scream, she charged for him.

Bang!

He fired the weapon hitting her in the chest. The shot was close range and she flew back hitting the ground. Quickly, I jumped from the SUV.

“Cade …”

“I’m okay.”

I stood next to him, Julie was still alive. Her body jerked and her head twitched with each labored breath she took.

Cade extended his arm and fired once more.

Julie died.

Two shots then silence. Just like we heard coming across the valley.

Only this time it was us.

Cade dropped emotionally to his knees and grabbed his sister’s limp body, pulling her into him. I gave him time with her. Then after grabbing a blanket from his car, we covered Julie, put her in the back of the SUV and headed back to the cabin.

We would bury her on the property.

This was his sister, he knew her his entire life, loved her and would mourn her.

We were still human beings. We weren’t a society that killed a family member and left them lying on the side of the road. How could we ever do something like that, get to that point? We wouldn’t. What just happened between a sister and brother, even if it were happening everywhere, was tragic. A horrible, tragic situation. I made a vow right then and there to myself, that even if the world fell apart around me, I would do everything in my power to keep my humanity. It could be all I had left when it was all said and done.