The Beginning of the End (Book2): Road to Damnation (12 page)

What was going on with
Cowboy and Sophie? I’d have to ask Cowboy at the next stop.

“Why don’t you try
to get some sleep,” I said to Chevy.

He gave me a wink,
crossed his arms, and slid down into the passenger’s seat.

The Two-gun clan was on
the move. I followed as the Ferrari climbed the ferry road, leaving
the dock. I admired the sheer sexiness of the vehicle but thought red
suited me better. If Thurman wanted to shoot an M4, I’d be more
than happy to let him try mine in exchange for a few minutes behind
the wheel of that baby.

I was so lost in
thought, I almost ran into the back of the Ferrari when the brake
lights came on, stopping halfway up the hill, “What the hell?” I
bitched.

“What is it?”
Sidara asked, pulling herself forward from the back seat.

“Thurman stopped the
car halfway up the hill, right in the middle of the road.”

The door swung open,
and Thurman stepped out of the vehicle.

“What’s up?” I
called out, through my open window.

He leaned back inside
the Ferrari and pulled out the .308, “Zombie!” he yelled back.

My hand instinctively
dropped down to my Glock. I didn’t see anything. I backed the
Humvee up a few feet and pulled forward next to the Ferrari, trying
to get a better view.

I didn’t know what he
was talking about until I saw it step out from behind an old rotted
elm tree. It was a little blonde girl, no more than six or seven
years old. She was wearing a filthy white nightgown and holding a
small teddy bear. She wasn’t attacking, but rather standing there
watching us.

“Let’s just go
around her,” I shouted back to Thurman.

He gave me a wave and a
smile, “Don’t worry, this will just take a second.”

Before I could say
anything, I watched Thurman take three shots from his hip. The first
two struck her in the chest, and the third hit her in the shoulder.
She fell backward, tumbling into the ditch, dropping the teddy bear
in the long grass.

“Just leave her
alone!” I screamed from the Humvee.

All six of us locked
our eyes on Thurman, as he proceeded to finish the little girl off by
slamming the butt of his rifle against her skull. Black ooze
splattered from the little girl’s brains leaving Thurman’s shirt
covered in evidence.

We all sat there
speechless with our mouths wide open, not believing what we’d just
witnessed. Thurman walked back toward his vehicle, only stopping long
enough to shoot a round through the teddy bear’s head.

Thurman paused when he
reached the Ferrari door, turned to the Humvee and said, “That
little bitch used to live across the street from us. That kid and her
mommy played with dolls and sang all the time. The thought of her
walking around made me sick. I’ve been looking forward to taking
her out since the start of this thing.”

He got back in the
Ferrari and started driving. I could feel Chevy’s eyes burning into
the side of my face, “I told you.”

“Told you what?”
Sidara asked.

“Chevy had a bad
feeling about Thurman.”

“Well, do you think
maybe he’s right?” Sidara said, “he just crushed in that little
girl’s skull with the butt end of his rifle. Zombie or not that’s
just sick.”

“I got the same
feeling, Chevy,” Luther said from the back of the Humvee.

Sidara spun around to
Luther, “Like the feeling you got from your psycho buddy, Kane? Oh,
yeah. You’re an excellent judge of character. Why don’t you sit
back there and shut up before you end up digging another hole for
yourself.”

“Okay, okay.
Everybody relax and take a breath.”

Chevy told me he
thought something was off about Thurman, and I told him I’d keep an
eye on him. It appears Chevy was right. The first opportunity we get,
we’ll try to dump him and his brother. I’ll tell him it’s not
working out.”

“Oh, honey,” Mom
said, “I understand everyone is upset about what they saw, but we
don’t know what happened to them before we got here. Let’s not
forget, we’ve all killed our share of zombies and not in the nicest
ways. If he blames them for killing someone they love, then it’s
almost…understandable.”

“Mom’s right,” I
said, “Thurman told me that his mother is dead, and it was most
likely from a zombie attack. It’s just him and his brother now. He
also said that Herman doesn’t know. So keep it on the down low.”

“Herman? Which one is
Herman?” Sage asked.

“Batman is Herman,”
Sidara said, you know the three hundred pound guy running around in
the mask and cape. Try to keep up here, Sage.”

“Well, how was I
supposed to know? I was loading all the magazines.” Sage said in a
defending tone.

“Okay, girls. Let’s
all try to get along,” Chevy joked.

“He’s right,” I
said, “we need to stick together, and we need to be wary of any
outsiders. Until we can figure this thing out, why don’t you all
try to get a little sleep. We’ve got a long drive in front of us,
and we’ve already had quite an eventful day.”

We were on the move
again; I watched in my side view mirror as Lake Champlain disappeared
from my view.

We faced so many
unknowns. A constant stress loomed over me, not knowing if something
was about to happen any second, or if it would be five days from now.

I had to deal with the
priorities first. For example, I didn’t know how far I could go in
this vehicle before it ran out of diesel. I knew I’d find out as
soon as we turned onto the highway. I’d be running the engine wide
open for the next couple of hours. This would give me a good estimate
of how far I can go until I need to refuel. I’d have to start
keeping track of our mileage.

Miles ticked away. As
we drove, the Adirondacks disappeared into flatter green pine
forests. I enjoyed the spectacular views of the mid-October fall
foliage on New York’s scenic Interstate 87 while everyone else in
the Hummer slept. I’d almost forgotten about what was happening in
the world around us.

Thurman’s car was
fast, and I had trouble keeping up with him. The Hummer’s top speed
was about 55mph, and the closer I got to that, the hotter the engine
ran. I was afraid to push it any harder. Breaking down in the middle
of nowhere was the last thing we needed.

The highway was almost
vacant except for the vehicles strewn along the median. Anyone who
was on the road had the sense to pull over before they died. If it
stayed clear like this, we’d be at New York City in no time.

As soon as I thought
that, I started gaining on the black Ferrari. We weren’t going any
faster. Herman and Thurman had to be slowing down. Less than a mile
later, we were side by side. Thurman motioned to me to roll down the
window. He looked concerned. There was something wrong.

“Chevy, wake up.
Chevy.” I said, punching him on the arm.

“Really, dude?”

“Sorry, man,” I
said, pointing at the Ferrari, “There’s something wrong.”

Chevy rolled down the
window, and I moved over in the lane as close as I could get without
hitting the Ferrari.

Thurman pointed at the
fancy black numbered, yellow backed gauges, “She’s running hot. I
need to find some coolant.”

“What do you want to
do, Ty?” Chevy asked.

“Tell him to take the
next exit,” I said.

Chevy relayed the
message, and Thurman responded with a thumbs up.

“I’m Batman!”
Herman yelled, as he leaned over Thurman and stuck his head out the
window. The Ferrari swerved as Thurman pushed Herman back into his
seat.

Chevy shot him a smile
and rolled up the window, “Thurman might be a dick, but I think
Batman is kind of cool.”

Mom reached up from the
back seat and gave Chevy’s head a rub, “I think we all feel the
same way about Herman, honey. How’s your shoulder doing?”

Chevy opened the top of
his shirt and looked at the gunshot wound. The scratch was tender and
turning purple around the edges.

Chevy examined it and
touched the discoloration, “Do you think it’s infected?”

Mom leaned over the
seat and examined the wound, “No, it looks like it’s just turning
black and blue. It’s healing honey, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea
to find some antibiotics when we stop.”

“Well, you’re in
luck. We’re about to stop,” I said, as I followed the Ferrari up
the Exit 20 off ramp.

The sign read,
Gas-Food-Lodging-Amusement Park.”

Daniels stopped in
mid-stride and turned back to Bunker, “What do you mean, she’s
been bitten?”

“Keep it down, she’ll
hear you. I didn’t say Cecilia was bitten. I said she’s quiet,
she looks pale, and she’s acting like she was bitten. For all we
know, she may have banged her head harder than we thought and doesn’t
feel well.” Bunker explained.

Daniels watched as
Cecilia lagged behind the others. She was staring at the ground and
dragging her feet. At a quick glance, she looked exhausted and
defeated, but Bunker was right. She was as pale as a ghost.

“What do you think?”
Bunker asked, as the two men moved forward again.

“Bryant Park is just
around the corner, according to Destiny. When we get there, we’ll
try to find some food. I’ll have a talk with her, see if I can get
any information on what happened to her before we met.”

“While you’re at
it, maybe check her for bite marks too,” Bunker suggested.

Daniels wasn’t sure
he was comfortable with that. Maybe he’d pass that chore onto
Destiny. For now, he was focusing on the fountain a hundred yards in
front of him. It had to be part of Bryant Park. The strange thing
was, it hadn’t been the fountain that got his attention, but rather
a plume of water shooting out from the top. It was still working. He
was under the impression the power was out in the whole city. It must
have been localized to specific grids.

As they got closer,
Daniels could see a large screen and stage beyond the fountain.
Community members must have used it for outdoor plays, like
Shakespeare in the park, while people watched from the forest of
green umbrella tables. This had to be Bryant Park.

“Destiny, is that it,
up ahead by the fountain and umbrellas?”

“Let me take a look,
sugar.” Destiny took her time walking up to Daniels for a better
view, “Oh, yeah. That’s it, baby. You can always tell because
every one of those umbrellas says ‘Bryant Park’ on them.”

She was right. Every
one of those green umbrellas did indeed have Bryant Park written in
large white letters. How did he not see that? He felt his face flush
with embarrassment. She seemed to have a knack for embarrassing him.

“Yeah, I see it now,”
Daniels said in a deeper embarrassed voice. He didn’t bother
looking back when he heard Destiny breathe an, “Uh-huh.”

Daniels checked out the
entire park. Beyond the stage was a large grassy area. To the left,
was the street and to the right, a children’s carousel. Smaller
tables surrounded the carousel. They looked like they were set up for
eating. There must be some place to get food around here Daniels
thought.

“Destiny, where do
they sell food here?”

“There are a few
places, papa bear. There’s always an outdoor vendor by the
carousel, but I don’t see him set up now. Just beyond the carousel
by all them flowers and cute shit is the solarium. They got this
cheesecake good enough to kill someone over. Yummy.”

Daniels dropped to one
knee and raised the M4. He adjusted it on his shoulder and peered
through the EOTech scope for a closer view. He scanned the park,
searching for any movement. He stopped at the solarium, “There’s
someone moving in there. How good is that cheesecake, Destiny?”

“I told you already.
It’s worth dying for.”

Daniels lowered the
rifle, “Good, because we may be doing that if we’re not careful.”

I watched as the
overheating Ferrari pulled off the ramp and into Queensbury. I knew
this town as well as Plattsburgh. On second thought, maybe that was
not entirely accurate. A better way to say it may be, I am familiar
with Queensbury.

Growing up a hundred
miles away, we would come here every summer right before my birthday
in July. I’m sure you’ve already guessed it. If not, it’s
because I come from a family of thrill seekers, and this town was
home to one of the largest roller coasters in the area. My dad used
to tell me that my Grandma brought him here every year.

My father made the same
promise to me. He kept his word. We never missed a summer. This is
why I knew, when the Ferrari turned right, he was heading towards The
Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom.

A half-mile down the
road, Thurman turned into the empty amusement park lot. It looked
like the place had been deserted for years. The once manicured lawns
and flower beds were overgrown with weeds and dead leaves. The
parking lot was strewn with park cups and trash, giving the abandoned
theme park an eerie feeling. It was the perfect setting for a horror
movie.

We pulled right up to
the front gate and I shut down the engine. Mom leaned forward from
the back seat, “This is the best parking spot we’ve ever had at
this place.”

“Why do you think he
came here?” I asked aloud. No one answered, but everyone was
wondering the same thing.

I opened the Humvee
door and asked Thurman, “What are we doing here?”

Herman stepped out of
the Ferrari and stretched his hands over his head for a few seconds
before answering me,

“I used to work
here,” he said like that was a sufficient answer.

I stepped out of the
Humvee, also feeling the need to stretch. I let out a grunt and
watched as Herman peed on the front tire of the hundred thousand
dollar sports car.

“Do you think he
should be doing that?” I asked Thurman.

“Do you think it
really matters?” Thurman answered in a sarcastic tone.