The Beginning of the End (Book2): Road to Damnation (10 page)

The thinner man lowered
his arms and gave Batman a light smack on the back of the head, “They
know that, dummy. You’re wearing a Batman mask.”

The thin man offered an
inviting hand, and I accepted.

“I’m Thurman,” he
said, “and Batman over here is Herman. We’re brothers. Twin
brothers.”

I was astonished,
“You’re twins?” I asked.

“Yeah, I got all the
brains and good looks. He got the brawn and superpowers. Life’s a
trip, man. Don’t let him scare you. He’s a big teddy bear. Just
about the only thing he hates in this world is zombies.”

“Batman kills
zombies. Batman hates zombies. Have you seen my mom?” Batman asked
hopping around like he had to pee.

Thurman reached up and
rubbed Herman’s broad shoulder, “Mom’s not with them, buddy.
We’ll keep looking, I promise.”

“Is he okay?” I
asked.

“He’s okay. He just
misses our mom. Oh wait, you mean the way he acts. Yeah, he’s fine.
When he was two, he walked out into the road and was hit by a car.
They thought he would die; he was in a coma for three months. I don’t
remember any of it, being the same age. But mom said he was normal
before the accident. The damage to his brain is also what made him so
big. Something about a brain lesion, the doctor said. It turned into
a growth, and it puts pressure on his Pituitary gland. As it
continues to grow, he’ll keep getting bigger.”

“So he’s going to
get bigger than that?” I asked looking up at the masked marvel.

“That’s what the
doc says.”

“Batman, kill
pituitary gland,” Herman said stamping his feet.

“So he pretty much
acts like this all the time.”

Sensing no threat, I
waved the rest of our group over to introduce them, “This is Chevy,
my mom, Jen. Sidara and Luther are over there, and that’s Sage next
to the back of the jeep loading mags.”

Thurman raised an open
palm, “Hi, everyone. I’m Thurman, this big guy is, Herman. It’s
a pleasure to meet everyone, but I still didn’t get the other guys
name.”

“Other guy,” I
asked.

“The guy on the ferry
pointing the sniper rifle at me.”

“Oh, sorry about
that,” I said glancing back at the boat.

I gave Cowboy the okay
wave, “That’s Cowboy. I apologize for that but we’ve been
through hell and back already today, and I didn’t know if you guys
were friend or foe.”

“Consider us
friends,” Thurman said, “as a matter of fact, we want to know if
we can join you. We’ve just about run out of supplies, and there’s
nothing left for us here anymore.”

“Sounds good to me,”
I said addressing the group, “All in favor?”

Yes came from everyone,
even Cowboy, who was almost back to the group.

“There’s one
problem, we’re kind of out of room. We to need to find you a
vehicle before we can leave.”

“Don’t you worry
about that,” Thurman said, “We’ve already got one.”

“The Bat mobile, Na
Na Na Na Na Na,” cheered Herman.

Bunker ran for the exit
door to help Daniels. The firing became more muted. It sounded like
he was heading away from the building. Bunker kicked open the glass
door, and Daniels was gone.

Hundreds of dead roamed
the street.

Bunker pursued the
trail of carnage Daniels left in his wake. The mass of dead pushed,
closing the gap Daniels created, cutting off access to him. There was
no way for Bunker to help his friend. He was on his own.

Out of options and
nowhere to go, Bunker headed back into the building, slamming the
door closed behind him, “He’s gone. Daniels left us.”

“He wouldn’t do
that,” Cecilia cried.

“Well, he went crazy
after his partner died. He must be going after his family. We’re on
our own now.”

“What are we going to
do?” Kaden asked.

“Hang on, kid. Give
me a second to think,” Bunker said, “There’s dead everywhere
out there. If they’re after Daniels, maybe we’ll have enough time
to make it out of here.”

Bunker peeked out the
door expecting to see zombies, not the NYC commuter bus barreling
backward toward the building. Bunker leaped out of the way of the
door and yelled for everyone to run.

The bus crashed into
the building, smashing the glass exit door and filling the room with
dust and debris.

Destiny screamed as
Kaden covered his head expecting the roof to come down on top of him.
It took a few seconds for the dust to settle.

The five stood up and
patted themselves off, engrossed in the bus that was now a few feet
inside the building.

The rear emergency door
swung open. Daniels stood there with a smile on his face, “Are you
guys going to stand there all day staring at me, or do you want to
get the hell out of this place. Cecilia climbed up the back of the
bus and threw her arms around Daniels, “I knew you wouldn’t leave
us.”

“Don’t worry,
honey. I’ll never leave you, but for now, I’m going to get all of
us out of here. Now let’s go, everyone on the bus.”

Bunker was the last one
on the bus and locked the door behind him. Once the door was secure,
he made his way from the back of the bus, climbing over a heap of
dead zombies, which were blocking the aisle. He sat down behind the
driver’s seat, next to Daniels, who was slamming the bus into gear.

“Did you have a
little trouble commandeering the bus?” Bunker asked, looking back
at the aisle.

Daniels glanced up at
the oversized bus mirror, “Nope. No problem. Nothing a few rounds
couldn’t fix.”

Daniels slammed on the
accelerator, and the bus took off. The center of 45th Street was
clear. Zombies lined the sidewalks, but few ventured into the road.
The ones who did were no match for the 65,000-pound bus.

“Why are they staying
on the sidewalk like that?” Bunker asked.

“What am I, some sort
of zombie aficionado?” Daniels snapped.

Daniels paused for a
moment after his outburst, “I’m sorry Bunker. I’m just upset
about Cooper. I'm not used to people dying on my watch. I don’t
know why they’re staying on the sidewalks. Maybe the same reason
some of the zombies in business suits are carrying around briefcases.
Something deep inside of their brains must be telling them it’s
just another day, business as usual.”

“Except for
occasionally eating some brains.” Bunker joked.

Cecilia and Kaden
joined the two men in the front of the bus. Daniels glanced at them
in the mirror. Worry and concern painted their faces. He knew he had
screwed up when he left them.

“Hey guys, I’m
sorry about what happened after Cooper died. I hope you didn’t
think I was leaving you. I was just upset and needed some time. He
was my friend and responsibility. I felt like I let him down.”

Cecilia touched his
shoulder, “We understand. I knew you’d never leave us, but I was
afraid you were going to get yourself killed out there.”

“I didn’t, and I
don’t want you to worry. I’m going to get us all out of here.”

Daniels lifted a finger
pointing through the bus windshield, “See that bridge right there?
It’s the GWB. That’s our way out of here.”

Destiny called out from
the back of the bus. She had been going through the pockets of the
dead zombies, looking for money and anything else that tickled her
fancy. “I thought you was gonna get us out of the city, sugar?”

“That’s what I’m
doing,” Daniels said.

“Well, you’re goin’
the wrong way, baby. You gotta drive halfway across the city to get
to the GWB. The Lincoln Tunnel is just a few blocks behind us. I
thought y’all wanted to get out of town. Even more now with them
there creatures coming at us.”

Destiny was right. The
mundane, repetitive ritual of the dead was altering. They were no
longer living on their old nine to five memories. They became more
aware of the bus barreling down the street. Something seemed out of
sorts to them. Their paths began to turn inward, and the crew inside
recoiled every time a body bounced off the metal bumper.

“We need to get out
of here,” Kaden said, as the bus struck another zombie, spraying
black ooze across the windshield.

The wipers did little
good as they spread the coagulated slime across the windscreen
creating a smoky haze.

“Oh, that’s so
gross,” Cecilia said as she buried her head in her knees.

Bunker stood up from
his seat and opened one of the side windows on the bus, “Daniels,
they’re trying to block the road up ahead. We’ll never make it
through, there’s too many of them.”

Daniels called to the
back of the bus, “Destiny, I need your help. How the hell do I get
back to that tunnel?”

“Let me take a look
where we are, foxy,” said Destiny as she weaved her way up to
Bunker’s open window. “Oh, gorgeous. You got us all mixed up now.
You must have zigged when you were supposed to zag. Don’t you
worry, honey. Lady Destiny will get you as right as rain in no time.
Take your next left up there on 6th Avenue, head down two blocks and
take another left at Bryant Park.”

“And that will get us
to the tunnel?” Daniels asked.

Destiny giggled, “No,
sugarplum. I just know how to get to da tunnel from there. We can’t
get there from here.”

Daniels turned back,
“You know that doesn’t make any sense, right?”

“Don’t you worry,
honey. It makes perfect sense to me.”

Daniels turned forward
in time to see an overturned taxi in the middle of the road. He was
going too fast to stop, and the only available option was to hit a
mound of dirt left there by the New York Water Authority for work on
the ancient sewer lines.

Daniels cranked the
wheel hard to the right. The engine revved as the top weight of the
bus combined with the mountain of sand to pull the tires off the
ground. Everyone in the bus flew out of their seats as the vehicle
tipped over, sliding along the pavement and coming to rest on its
side. The engine sputtered for a few seconds and then stalled. White
smoke burned the lungs of the unconscious passengers as it filled up
the interior of the bus.

Questions raced through
my mind as I watched Herman and Thurman walk back to the boathouse.
My best friend and Cowboy joined me. I was still lost in thought. The
three of us stared until Chevy asked, “What do you think about
them?”

“I don’t know,
Chev,” I answered, as I watched the garage door of the boathouse
rising.

“Herman seems to be a
pretty good shot. He nailed every one of those zombies in the head
from more than a hundred yards away. That’s impressive.”

“Which one is
Herman?” Cowboy asked.

Chevy shrugged his
shoulders.

“Thurman is the smart
one, and Herman is Batman,” I said with a chuckle, “At the very
least, you know they’ll be entertaining.”

Headlights came on
inside of the boathouse followed by the high pitch revs of some sort
of sports car. The bright LED lights moved forward revealing a shiny
black Ferrari convertible. The top was down, and I saw Thurman
beaming from ear to ear as he pulled up next to us. He revved the
engine a few times before shutting down the impressive vehicle.

“Where the hell did
you find that thing?” Chevy blurted out.

“It’s not a thing.
It’s the Na Na, Na Na Batmobile.” Herman sang.

Everyone laughed.

“I know it’s not
practical,” Thurman said, “but Batman, here, had to have it. My
mom took our car when she left for work last week. She never came
back, so we took Mr. Beaumont’s car.”

“Who’s Mr.
Beaumont?” I asked.

“He’s a rich
Canadian guy who has a summer house here. I think he owns a company
that makes buses or something like that in Plattsburgh. I told Herman
it was temporary until we could find a truck or a camper.”

“Why don’t you guys
just stay in your house and wait this thing out?” I asked.

Thurman leaned in and
whispered in my ear, “I know our mom is dead,” he leaned back and
spoke in a normal voice again. “Our Grandma and Papa live in
Destin, Florida. It’s on the panhandle, and the beaches are
beautiful. We’re going to try to make it down there, see if they’re
all right, and then hop on a boat. Maybe we can find a deserted
island and live there until this thing passes over.”

“You’re more than
welcome to travel with us if you like. We’re heading to Georgia.
Sophie, that blonde lady over there, is a scientist, and she has the
cure for this epidemic. I promised I’d help her get to the CDC in
Atlanta. We need to make a quick stop in New York City. My dad’s
there and, he needs our help.”

“Where in the city is
he?”

“I don’t know. He
left a message on my cell phone, but I haven’t heard from him
since.”

I pulled the cell phone
from my pocket, examined the screen, and dragged my thumb across the
cracked glass. It was down to four percent, almost dead.

“Does it still work?”
Thurman asked.

I turned the screen
toward him, “It’s worked a few times. That’s how I know my dad
is in the city and needs help. Sounds like he’s joined up with some
people. I’m hoping for another message, but I’ll never see it if
my phone dies. You don’t happen to have a charger, do you?”

“Sorry, Ty. I’ve
got a charger, but it’s not for one of those. But I’m sure you
can pick one up just about anywhere.”

“I was going to grab
one earlier today, but I forgot when I got attacked in the store.
Cowboy had to save my ass. We left in such a hurry; it slipped my
mind.”

“Well, I’m sure
we’ll find one soon…Herman! Get out of the driver’s seat.”
Thurman yelled as Herman beeped the horn. “I’ve gotta take care
of this before he attracts every zombie in Port Kent.”

“No problem,” I
chuckled.

Herman double-timed it
to his brother while disciplining him, and pointing a chastising
finger.

I pushed the home
button on my phone and swiped to the main screen. The battery was at
three percent now. My fingers touched letters as I sent a text
message,
“Dad. I’ve got Mom.
We’re coming to you. Are you okay? Please respond if you get this.”