The Beginning of the End (Book2): Road to Damnation (4 page)

“You scared me there,
hoss. I came over to let you know I checked out the rig. She’s good
to go, but she’s gonna need diesel soon. You’ll get maybe a
hundred miles out of her before she runs dry.”

“Thanks, Cowboy and
sorry about the gun thing.”

Luther was already a
foot deep, moving as fast as he could. Beyond the grave, the darkened
skies had given way to a downpour that seemed to be heading toward
Lake Champlain. With any luck, it’d miss us. The breeze had turned
into a wind now. It was time to go. I gave Luther a little kick in
the ass, “You’ve got three minutes, or I’m leaving two bodies
in that grave, understand?”

Luther didn’t answer,
but the rhythm of his spade increased.

A quick glance at
Cowboy’s face showed me the sorrow he felt for his old friend. He
knew by my expression Luther would be one of us, soon enough.

I motioned to Kate’s
body and asked Cowboy if he’d help bury her. Again without
hesitation, Cowboy showed me his new loyalty.

I called out to Chevy,
not seeing him with the rest of the group. He appeared from the far
side of the wrecked Humvee.

“I want you and
Sidara to head over to Sophie’s jeep and grab the cure. As soon as
you’re back, we’re out of here.”

“Are we going back to
Plattsburgh?” Chevy asked.

We were miles away from
the center of the city, and I could still hear echoes of screams and
gunfire.

“No, buddy. We’re
heading to the Port Kent ferry dock to gas this pig up. Then we’re
moving south, on to Albany.”

“Albany? Why,
Albany?” Chevy asked.

“Remember the
television broadcast before we left the house? Those people were
sending out that transmission. We need to see if there are any
survivors there. If there are, we need to recruit them.”

Chevy gave me a
puzzling look and asked, “Recruit them for what?”

“Dad’s in New York
City. We need weapons and people to help us fight. The more, the
merrier.”

“What makes you think
they will help us?”

“I’ll tell you why
Chevy. Because we have the cure and they want the same thing we
want.”

“Which is what, not
to die?” Chevy asked.

“Well, that, but more
importantly, for everything to be normal again. The only way that’s
going to happen is if we get that cure to Atlanta. With a little luck
and a little hope, they’ll join us. The bigger our group, the
better our chances are. Now go get Sophie’s serum packed up. I’m
gonna help Cowboy and Luther bury Kate and the rest of the bodies.”

I guess the little pep
talk I gave to Luther did the job. Kate was already in the ground,
and he was putting the last of the remaining dirt on top of her. I’d
leave the task of burying his friends to him.

Luther cowered when he
saw me standing there, “Almost done, boss. Just a couple more.”

I didn’t even give
him the satisfaction of a look. As far as I was concerned, he was
partially responsible for Kate’s death and in the mood I’m in
now, I wished he were the one in the hole. That could have been my
mom lying in that grave. Feeling disgusted with Luther, I turned
without saying anything and headed toward Chevy.

I caught a glimpse of
Cowboy coming out of the woods. He was holding a bundle of sticks. I
watched as he knelt down and used a lanyard to secure them in the
middle, he was making crosses for the graves. He glanced up at me
looking for approval. I nodded back and headed toward Chevy.

He was still playing
with the gunshot wound on his shoulder.

“Oh my god, Chevy.
Could you be any more of a pussy?”

Chevy looked up at me,
the wound was already forming a scab, “Yeah, well I don’t see any
bullet holes in you. We’ll see how you feel if you ever get shot.”

“You’ll never know
because I don’t plan on ever being shot. Can we talk for a minute?”
I asked.

“Sure, Ty. What’s
up?”

“Not here,” I said
as I motioned to the vehicle.

I climbed into the
driver’s side of Kane’s Humvee. The strong smell of old man’s
cologne lingered in the cab. What kind of freak takes the time to put
on cologne in the middle of the zombie apocalypse? The kind that
likes to mutilate women, I guessed. It didn’t matter now; Sophie
took care of that problem with a single shot.

Chevy inched his way
onto the passenger seat protecting his injured shoulder.

“Close the door,
Chev. I don’t want anyone to hear us.”

Chevy slammed the
armor-plated door and asked, “So what’s the big secret, Ty?”

I took in a deep breath
and let it out slow, “It’s about the plan. I told everyone we
were heading to Port Kent.”

“Yeah, so let's go.”
Chevy interrupted.

“We can’t go yet.
We need to pick up supplies. I don’t know when we’ll have another
opportunity. Look out your window and tell me what you see?”

Chevy glanced out his
window and back at me, “Your mom making out with Cowboy.”

“What!” I screamed.

“I’m just fuckin’
with you.” Chevy chuckled.

“What’s wrong with
you? Now be serious, look out the window and tell me what you see in
the distance.”

“The highway, a
wrecked Humvee, the Mall, and some…the Mall. We can get all the
supplies we need there.”

“That’s what I was
thinking, but it’s a hell of a risk. With all the sporting goods
stores and grocery store on the end, we can stock up with food, ammo,
and weapons. The problem is, my gut is telling me the place is
infested with zombies.”

Chevy’s head spun
back to me, “Zombies? When did we start calling them that?”

“Well, what the hell
are they then? They’re dead, but they still walk around, and they
are trying to eat us. The only way to stop them is to shoot them in
the head, and if they bite us, we’ll turn into one of them. I’m
not sure about you, but I’ve watched enough T.V. to tell me those
things are zombies.”

Chevy pinched his chin
between his two fingers, “I guess they’re zombies then. All the
more reason to get food and ammo.”

I pulled Chevy’s
shirt back enough to look at his injury, “How serious is that
wound. No bullshit.”

Chevy ran his finger
across the dried blood, “I’m 95% ready to kick ass.”

I nodded my head,
“Good, that’s why you’re staying here.”

“What!” Chevy
yelped.

“You stay here with
the girls. I’m going to commandeer Sophie’s Jeep, and we’re
heading to the mall for supplies. I’m taking Luther and Cowboy with
me.”

Chevy interrupted
again, “Ty, you can’t trust those guys. An hour ago Luther wanted
to kill us, and correct me if I’m wrong but, I’m sure Cowboy
wanted to do the same yesterday?”

“I know what you’re
saying, Chev, but I don’t have a choice. Besides, Cowboy proved
himself today, and Luther is a parasite. He’ll cling onto anyone
willing to help keep him alive and right now that’s us. You and
Sidara keep an eye on everyone. If we’re not back in two hours, gas
up in Port Kent, then head to Albany without us.”

“Fuck that. I’m not
leaving here without you. I’m going to the mall with you in case
you need help.” Chevy insisted.

“No, Chevy. You’re
staying here. You’re not a hundred percent healthy; you said so
yourself. Besides, I need you here. I’m not taking a chance of
something else happening to my mom. If something happens to me,
promise me you’ll take care of her.”

“You know it, Ty. I’d
give my own life to protect her.”

“I know that, Chevy.
That’s why you’re staying.”

“In two hours you
leave. That’s noon. Not a second later. If I’m not here, it means
I’m dead,” I said as I stepped out of the Humvee.

When a man reaches his
limits and has run out of options, he begins to feel the sting of
defeat. Your stomach knots, your face flushes, and you feel like your
body is radiating heat. Daniels knew defeat, and he could see it in
Bunker’s face. At the bottom of the stairs was a man defeated.
Daniels walked back down the stairs and gave Bunker a firm squeeze on
his shoulder, “Hey, are you all right, buddy?”

Hiding his face,
fearing Daniels might catch the wince of a tear, Bunker pulled away.

“What the fuck are
you touching me for, Cop?”

Surprised by Bunker’s
response, Daniels released his shoulder and stepped back, “Hey,
man. It’s okay. I’m scared too, but we’ll get through this.
Let’s just head back upstairs and talk to those people and make a
plan together. One of them must know this building. If not, there are
a ton of exits. It may take a while, but we’ll find another way
out.”

Bunker let out a long
breath, “I’m sorry, Corp. I’m creeped out by all this shit
that’s going on. I can’t believe fucking zombies are attacking
us. Last week, I thought we were all going to die from Ebola, now
this shit happens.”

Daniels put his hand
back on Bunker’s shoulder, “Listen, Bunker. The last thing I
heard was that everyone was sick. The government had a cure, and they
were going to treat everyone. We can only assume something went
wrong. Listen; between you and me, I could give a shit what you did
in your past. I know you’re not a murderer. You’re just an idiot
who likes to get drunk and fight. All that’s done now. No more
barroom brawls. No more stupidity. Now the only fight is for
survival, and we’re in that one together. I don’t know about you,
but I’ve got a family back in Plattsburgh. Somehow, I need to get
back there and make sure they’re okay. From now on, no more
convict, no more cop. We are on the same team, and we’re going to
need each other to get out of here. Do you have any family?”

Bunker paused for a
moment, “I got a kid. Little girl. She lives with her mom in South
Carolina. I haven’t seen her in years. I think she’s seven now.”

Daniels moved around,
so he was standing face to face with Bunker, “Wouldn’t you like
to see her again? Just to know she’s all right?”

“Do you think she’s
all right? I mean,” Bunker asked, “I don’t think I could handle
it if she turned into one of those things standing on the other side
of the door.”

“Well, you will never
find out if you keep standing there feeling sorry for yourself. Now
man up and let’s do what’s got to be done. Pull yourself together
and come back upstairs. We’ll make a plan and save those scared
souls locked in that room upstairs. We’ll do it together.”

Daniels reached out
with an open hand. Bunker took it and sealed their pact with a
handshake.

The maze of stairs and
doors took the new duo almost as long to find their friends as it
took to find the Grand Central Terminal. Daniels knew they had found
it when he saw the dead zombies on the floor.

“We’re almost
there, Bunker. They’re in the last door on the right.”

When they got there,
Bunker gave the door a few light raps and whispered through the fist
hole in the middle of the door, “Open up, it’s us.”

Hopeless faces stared
out as the door opened.

“Did you find a way
out?” Cecilia asked.

“Where are we, Corp?”
asked Cooper.

They stepped inside and
re-secured the splintered door with the desk. All the eyes in the
room were on him. Daniels leaned against the desk and took in a deep
breath. He spoke as he released it, “Well, we’ve got some good
news and we’ve got some bad news. The good news is, we know where
we are. The bad news is, it appears the exit we found is blocked.”

Cooper spoke up first,
“Let’s just unblock it.”

Daniels winced at the
suggestion, “It’s not quite that easy, buddy. We’re better off
finding a new exit. And in case you’re wondering, we’re in Grand
Central Station.”

Cooper interrupted
again, “How is that possible? I thought Grand Central was just a
train station.”

“What have you been
doin’ your whole life, son? Living in a hole. Ain’t you never
been here before?” This was the first time the aging prostitute
made a sound since her screaming attack. Once she had the floor, she
couldn’t seem to stop.

“Let me tell you,
cutie. This place ain’t just no train station. You got a Banana
Republic, some restaurants, a pub, and hell, you even got a bank so
you can refill your wallet when you run out of shoppin’ money.
Hell, almost a million people pass through here a day. This is a bad
place to be in the middle of a zombie outbreak.”

“Whoa, whoa,”
Daniels interjected. “Nobody said we’re in the middle of a zombie
outbreak. Let’s just stay cool and keep our heads together. I have
to apologize, and I don’t recall hearing your name, Ma’am.”

“Honey, that’s
because you weren’t ready to hear my name. One has to prepare them
self. But if you must know, I’m Lady Destiny, Temptress of the
Night. But you can call me Destiny for short. Lady is just my
official title. Since I was nice enough to tell you my name, why
don’t you tell me yours, sweetie?”

“Ah…my name is
Daniels, but you can call me Corp.”

“Oh, honey. Did your
mama not love you? What kind of name is Corp?”

“It’s not my name.
It’s my rank. I’m a Corporal at the Plattsburgh Police
Department.”

“Well Daniels
Smaniels, aren’t you a long way from home?”

“I’m serious,
ma’am. Corp is fine. You seem to know a lot about this building. Do
you work here?”

“Well, I guess you
can say that. I’m here for my Wednesday nooner with Mr. Sutherland.
He’s in office 316, and he’s got a private bathroom with a window
that faces the top of the Chrysler building. He likes to take me
from….”

“Whoa, whoa, again,
too much information. I need to know if you know a back way out of
this building?”

“Well, honey. You
know I do. I’m the queen of backdoors.

Kind, old Mr.
Sutherland wouldn’t have his best number two girl walking in the
front door. He sneaks me in and out of this place like a sewer rat. I
know this place like the back of my ass. You’ll just have to trust
me.”