The Last Infection: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller (15 page)

“We’re not,” Chris assured her, “but we can’t stay out here like sitting ducks. We have to keep moving.”

Jenn
looked up at the long rearview mirror.

“Well?”

Chris motioned to the right.

“Head north and be ready to stomp on the gas.”

She pulled on the steering wheel with both hands and the bus started to move. They pulled off the highway and she kept it in the center of the four lanes. A few randomly parked vehicles littered the way, but there wasn’t much to keep them from turning around if they had to. They continued creeping forward, now fully aware that Grand Junction was far from abandoned.

The road
narrowed after a time and it was down to two lanes when Jenn voiced her first complaint. Chris urged her to continue another few blocks before he reached his limit. They spotted several groups of zombies moving between distant buildings east of the road. The way was consumed by cookie cutter housing blocks and the intensity of movement signaled the worst was yet to come.

“Enough already,” Jenn
said, and then she began to turn the bus before anyone could object. “We’re going to get trapped in here.”

Sarah started for the front
, but Chris stopped her. He stepped out in the center aisle and waved her back as he headed for the driver’s seat. Jenn’s eyes were on him in the mirror, but she continued her turn. They were facing south when Chris reached her.

“They have to be
around here,” he said.

“Alright,” she said with emphasis. “Are you saying you want to take our only gun and go after them?”

Chris quickly realized her statement of devotion only extended to him and the kids.

“Are we going to leave them?” he asked.

She thought about it longer than he would have liked.

“They’re going to
go back to where we were,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “If they can.” She focused on the road. “We should head back and wait at the edge of town. We can talk about timetables when we get settled.”

Chris was happy enough with the plan. It bought time. If Michael and Jafar weren’t back by
nightfall, he knew Jenn was going to push the issue, so he would give himself until then to make a decision. One way or another, someone in the group wasn’t going to be happy.

They were mid way between the turnaround spot and the highway when Jenn slowed down then stopped. She
was focused down a road heading west. Chris walked down the aisle toward her. The road of interest ran between the first of the housing tracks and the last of the businesses.

“What’s up?”

“About five blocks in,” Jenn said, pointing. “Do you see that red sign?”

He
gazed long enough to realize his vision was far worse than he wanted to admit.

“I don’t-
”

“I think it’s a gas station.”

Chris heard the words, but still couldn’t see the sign. Gas was quickly becoming as much a necessity as water. A look at the gauges told him they would be lucky to make it another hundred miles. If he’d learned anything, he knew most gas stations were stripped once it was obvious the government wasn’t coming to help anyone. Even so, he wasn’t sure they could risk not checking it out.

T
he pressure built in the back of his mind and it reminded him why he never enjoyed having to be concerned with the welfare of others. He checked the rounds in his gun for the tenth time. He could sense Jenn’s stare on the back of his head and he finally forced himself to give the answer she was waiting on. “Everyone stays here,” he said then cut her off as she tried to object. “Keep the engine running. If something goes wrong, you’ll hear me fire. If it looks promising,” he rubbed the stubbly growth on his chin, “I’ll come back for you.”

He readied himself at the stairs waiting for her to open the door. When she didn’t
push the bar, he spun around expecting a fight. He was surprised to find her standing directly behind him. He started to tell her there was no way she was going with him, but he was brought to a shocking halt when she grabbed him and pulled him toward her. They were kissing before he knew what was happening and by the time his brain caught up with the moment, it was over.

“Come back safe,” she said then opened the door and nearly pushed him out.

Chris found himself standing in the middle of the road facing the bus without a clue as to what he was doing. Jenn closed the door before he could respond. He started off toward the gas station as Alicen’s voice sprang out one of the windows.

“Chris and Jenn sitting in a tree k, i, s, s, i, n, g…”

#

Jenn sat in the driver’s seat anxiously waiting. She was
convinced that any moment a gunshot would ring out and she would have to step on the gas and go. She wasn’t entirely sure if she could actually leave Chris behind. Her feelings for him were complicated and growing more complex by the minute. She told herself it was some kind of situational thing. He wasn’t even her type. She’d told herself at least a hundred times and so far it wasn’t helping.

“I have to go help him.”

Jake had tried this approach once already.

“
Relax, superman,” Jenn said. “It’s only been twenty minutes.” She checked her watch again then gave it a shake to make sure it was still running. “He’s just being cautious.”

Jake moved one seat closer to the door then sat down. They were all anxious. The anticipation was growing with every pa
ssing minute. Jenn unhooked her seat belt and stood up. Jake’s head snapped around.

“I’m stretching my back,” she assured him.

Sarah had been quiet since Chris stepped off the bus. Jenn was sure her thoughts were on her son, but she wasn’t sure what the woman was capable of. If Chris found gas, it wouldn’t change the fact that a decision was coming. If they had to leave Michael and Jafar behind it was probably going to get ugly real fast. Jenn stretched in as many ways as she could think and when she was done, there was still no sign of Chris. She was quickly running out of ways to occupy herself. It was Alicen who finally asked the question Jenn didn’t want to consider.

“What if we never hear anything?”

Jenn sat down and looked back at the little girl. Jake and Sarah’s eyes were on her. Jenn struggled with an answer.

“We…uh, probably need to-”

“Who’s that?”

A
licen’s follow up question pulled everyone’s attention back out the windows. It took a second, but they located a lone figure heading in their direction. Jenn pushed open the door and stepped down onto the street. She focused in and found Chris’ smile. He was nodding and waving her toward him.

She
jumped back up on the bus and slid in the driver’s seat. She didn’t bother closing the door before sliding the bus into drive and starting the turn. “Hold on.” They were heading west a moment later, barreling down a narrow road. She hit the brakes and the bus came to a stop a few feet from Chris. He hopped up on the first stair and grabbed hold.

“It’s full,” he said
, unable to contain his excitement. “I don’t know how and I don’t care.”

They were moving before the words left his mouth. Jenn focused on the station
’s sign and gunned the gas. She slowed when they were a few bus lengths away and the tranquility of the station was eerie.

“How?” she managed. “There’s no way-”

“I know,” Chris said as he jumped out.

H
is tone told her that he felt something was out of place.

“Pull up next to the first p
ump,” he said pointing the way.

J
ake rushed past her and jumped out next to Chris before Jenn could stop him. Chris was barking orders as if he’d attended Marine Corp boot camp sometime between leaving the bus and returning.

“Jake, t
ake a knee at that entrance and keep your eyes on the houses across the street.” Chris ran in front of the bus and Jenn nearly hit him as she tried to pull up to the pump. He headed for the attendant’s station. “I have to turn this on.”

Jenn stopped and got out with
Sarah right behind her. They were around the bus and working on the gas cap when the first of many questions came to Jenn.

“How in
the hell are we going to get the pumps to work?”

Sarah was about to provide
a follow up question when the distinct sound of a pull motor echoed from behind the station. The motor caught and a sluggish, but loud roar of a generator followed. Chris stepped out in the open and a new series of questions popped into Jenn’s mind, none of which could lead to good answers.

“Why is there a generator h
ooked up to the station?” she asked.

“Just pump,” Chris said and the worry showed through on his face. “And hurry.”

There were a hundred new questions running through Jenn’s mind as she pried off the gas cap. She slammed the fuel dispenser into the opening and pressed the handle before ever bothering to look up. Sarah was near the front of the bus watching Chris run out to the opposite entrance to the station. He had his rifle at the ready.

Jenn knew fuel was a valuable commodity and whoever bothered to hook the station up to the generator probably wasn’t willing to share. She tried to keep her hand
s from shaking as she pressed the handle as hard as she could. The fuel wouldn’t come out any faster. Her eyes went back and forth between Chris and the rolling numbers on the pump’s face. She didn’t need him to tell her someone was coming when she saw him take aim at something heading down the street in their direction.

“Get on the bus
.”

Chris yelled as he got to his feet and started walking backwards. Sarah ran for the open door
, but Jenn didn’t move. Her eyes were focused on the pump. She was determined to get every drop of gas she fit into the tank.

“
Oh, my God.”

A
licen’s exclamation was far more frightening than Chris’ demand. Jenn squeezed harder, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. She didn’t let go until the fuel started to spill over the side. She dropped the pump on the ground and ran. She reached the front of the bus at the same time as Chris.

Jenn started to ask one of several questions when she
peered over his shoulder at a mass of people running up the road toward the gas station. There were several groups of them, most with bats and clubs. It was the first gunshot that drew her attention to two figures out in front of the pack pulling a heap of supplies in a child’s little red wagon. Jafar was in the lead tugging on the handle and Michael was pushing it from behind. The wagon was moving so fast it appeared as if the wheels might pop off at any moment.

The trailing horde wasn’t what Jenn expected. They weren’t among the dead
, but they were far from the people they once were. They were dressed in a patchwork of clothing, each carrying a variety of bizarre packs and bags. Some were covered in animal skins while others wore the dried hides of something Jenn didn’t want to guess at. The sound of engines rose in the distance, drawing closer by the second.

“Get on the bus,” Chris yelled again
, and then spun around at the door, aiming his gun back in the direction of the new arrivals.

Jenn reached the door as Jake
stomped the top stair and disappeared down the center aisle. She leapt up to the seat and the bus came to life. The wheels were turning when Jafar and Michael reached the entrance into the station. Chris ran out in front of the bus and the three men picked up the wagon in one lift. Jenn continued the turn, bringing the bus between Chris, Jafar, and Michael and the mass rushing towards them.

She could see
the pursuers clearly and the sight brought a sudden horror to her that stole her breath. There were children among them, their bodies covered in stains of blood and muck. Their faces were wild as animals. Several vehicles sped up the road behind the main group moving toward the gas station.

Jafar was up the stairs first, lifting the front of the wagon as he went. Chris and Michael shoved at it from behind until Jafar was forced to toss his end over the front seat and let the contents spill out onto the floor. Chris
jumped over the wagon as it crashed down on the stairs. The bus sped up as Jenn finished her turn. Michael dodged the wagon as it slammed out on the street, and then he jumped on the bottom step.

All three men
gasped for breath, their eyes focused on the trailing group now falling behind. Jenn made sure Michael cleared the opening, then slammed the door shut and stomped her foot on the gas. It wasn’t until they were back on the highway that Chris stopped watching for someone to come roaring up the road after them. Jenn caught Jafar’s eyes in the review mirror and he read her mind.

“You do even want to know.”

16.

The road was surprisingly clear all the way into Utah. Jenn
stayed at her post and drove the bus the rest of the day. No one bothered to ask what happened in Grand Junction until they stopped for the night. Jafar wasn’t willing to go into the details, but Michael provided enough to answer everyone’s questions. Apparently, there were people who could survive a bite from the infected and not become the hideous things that walked the streets at night.

Jafar had taken down the first one in a h
ouse while they were searching for food. The man could talk and appeared to have control of his mind. He tried to catch Michael off guard when Jafar caught him. They weren’t sure what he had planned for them if he’d caught them, but Jafar had a good guess. A group of them surrounded the house where Michael and Jafar found all of the supplies.

They fought their way out
, killing several of the attackers and spending most of their ammo in the process. They were on the run from then on. It was only by chance that they were headed for the gas station when the bus was refueling. Jafar confirmed these others had vehicles and firearms. He guessed there were several dozen, but he didn’t know much more.

Jenn stopped the bus for the
night and it went by with little more than a rustle of leaves. The woods on either side of the highway were deathly quiet. Everyone had a turn at watch with Jake and Alicen pulling one shift together. The sun rose early, but the temperature did not rise with it. There was a frost on the grass reflecting the sunshine as it broke over the trees.

The bus argue
d with Jenn as she tried to start it up. It took three tries before it came to life with a deep growl. Chris spent the morning going through the rations. There was enough food to last several days if they kept it light. Most importantly, there were a couple of old milk jugs filled with water. He divvied out a breakfast for everyone, and then focused on the road.

Chris’
limited knowledge of the highway told him they would reach Las Vegas by the afternoon if the road was clear. Everyone kept to themselves. No one was willing to pass up free downtime. Even Jake and Alicen kept quiet. It was closing in on two o’clock when they passed a road sign declaring their arrival.

Las Vegas 10 miles

“Do you know where you’re going?” Chris asked.

Jenn nodded then shrugged. “Kind of. We’re looking for the strip.”

“And you know how to get there?”

“I know the highway will get us close.” She made eye contact in the mirror. “We’ll follow the signs from there.”

“We never really talked about how we’re going to do this.” Chris struggled with how to approach the subject. “I mean there’s no way for us to be sure…”

“I know,” she said bluntly. “I have to try.”

“But we-”

“I won’t put us at risk.
” She focused back on the road. “If there’s no chance, I’ll move on.”

Chris wasn’t sure he believed her.
The city came into view and he took a seat. The famous welcome sign greeted them and the bus pulled past it as Jenn slowed their speed. They were surrounded on both sides by low-rise buildings a moment later. The stillness hit Chris profoundly. Uneasiness settled over the group.

Jenn
brought the bus to a crawl as she started the turn toward the Las Vegas Boulevard exit. Massive structures rose on the skyline as the first hotels came into view. She finished off the turn, but then she was forced to slam on the brakes. Chris looked out over the main throughway at a battlefield.

The road was covered from one side to the other with overturned vehicles and an assortment of charred and bullet ridden
barricades. There were clear areas of established defense, making it easy to imagine where someone had dug in for a last stand. The bottom floors of the once breathtaking hotels were in varying degrees of destruction. It was impossible to tell who or what fought in the war, but the fight had been enormous.

“We don’t want to risk getting
the bus stuck in there,” Jenn said. “We might not be able to turn around if we have to.”

Harrah’s
Casino was a good distance from where they stopped. Chris calculated they would be out in the open for several minutes if they walked it. He looked back and discovered Jafar already gearing up.

“I’m not staying here again,”
Alicen said defiantly.

Jake joined in as he shoved the remainder of
a bag of chips in his coat pocket.

“We all should go.”

Chris turned to Jenn.

“I have to go,” she said.

He didn’t put up much of a fight. Chris was leery about taking everyone, but he saw the logic in not leaving a small, poorly armed group behind. They set off on foot, with Jafar and him up front, and Michael in the rear. The remainder of the group moved in-between the protected line.

The devastat
ion to the buildings was astounding. The scene was something out of a war film. Chris couldn’t figure out why the place would have taken so much damage. He guessed there was a fight for supplies, but there was no way to be sure. The troubling part was a gut feeling that the fight, whatever it was for, had taken place very recently.

The group
hiked in a well-trained military formation with each member scanning their surroundings. The air was still and musty with little moving in either direction. There was a tinge of gunpowder hanging above the street. The maze of burnt out vehicles and piled barricades felt purposefully placed. They were midway between the bus and Harrah’s, when Chris felt Jenn tap him on the shoulder. He got down on one knee and brought the group to a halt. Jenn moved up close and whispered.

“I saw someone.”

Chris looked over his shoulder.

“Someone or something?”

She peered at the hotel, her eyes running up the length of the building.

“I’m pretty sure I saw someone in a window up there.”

Chris examined the building and his mind wandered. He wasn’t sure if Jenn wanted to see someone more than anything else. He also wasn’t sure what she might do if they didn’t find anyone or even worse if they did and they were all dead. He nodded, and then focused on Jafar.

“Let’s keep going.”

The distance took longer to cross then anyone would have guessed. The rest of the way was covered by an elaborate maze of vehicles. Chris expected something to jump out at him around every turn, but nothing ever did. They reached the main entrance of the casino and settled in under the covered valet stand.

Chris
approached the front doors alone and peered in through the broken glass. An assortment of slot machines and gaming tables stood stacked across the entrance. Several holes in the defense made it appear as if the line was given up a long time ago. The open floor beyond was shrouded in shadows, but there was enough light to provide a glimpse of what awaited.

The
casino floor was in shambles. The tables either were in pieces or stacked on top of one another. A thick layer of debris covered every inch of the floor and there was little to give away what happened to the place. The lack of blood caught Chris’ attention.

He got everyone on their feet with a
wave, and headed for the doors. Jafar pushed over a blackjack table from its resting place and a way opened up. They were inside at the base of the steps when the first sounds reached them. Chris held his hand up, but everyone was already frozen. A slight thumping echoed from deeper in the interior, but it was difficult to locate the exact location.

“I knew i
t,” Jenn said then started off. “They’re here somewhere.”

Chris grabbed her by the arm as she went
past. “Hold on.” Her expression soured. “There’s no telling what that is.”

“We only have one exit,” Jafar reminded everyone. “If we go in
any further, we risk being trapped.”

“I didn’t come all this way to stand by the door,” Jenn said.

Chris tried to calm her down.

“We need to make sure we can get out if we have to.”

Jenn didn’t appear convinced, but she stopped pulling away from him. The gaming area ran the entire west side of the floor. The east way opened to a circular lobby. A pair of escalators rose up from the center of the entryway towards the second floor. Chris kept his focus on the noise.

He started across the gaming
area, keeping close to the front wall. They edged slowly between the demolished tables and the sound grew the further they went. Chris had his eyes set on an emergency exit against the far wall. He stepped away from the last of the debris and Alicen’s voice cut through the silence.

“Oh boy
.”

Chris spun around with his gun at the ready in time to watch the little girl shoot out from the line
behind him. Jake swiped at her arm, but missed as she whizzed by. Alicen’s eyes were bright and focused, a wide smile firmly planted on her face. She dodged between two tables and swept something up off the floor.

“It looks brand new.”

She was yelling when she brought the doll up to her face. It did in fact look brand new, but Chris wasn’t as excited about it as Alicen appeared to be. Jake reached her by the time everyone heard a new sound wash across the gaming floor. A sudden recognition ripped the smile from Alicen’s face as the dreaded moan of the dead echoed from the bar across the room. Chris urged them to move.

“
Come on, let’s go.”

Jafar
stood at the ready as Jenn, Sarah, and then the kids ran passed him. The moaning intensified tenfold in a matter of seconds. The first of them pushed through a swinging door behind the bar and the putrefied figures poured out onto the main floor in a tidal wave of rotted flesh. They were sparsely clad with the full extent of their decay open for all to see. The moaning was harmonious to a point, all focusing their lust for the living on the new arrivals.

Chris back
ed away, pulling Jafar with him. He turned to find Jenn standing at the emergency exit, door open, but refusing to step through. He reached her a moment later and pushed past everyone to discover what caused the fixation. The stairwell was blocked, both leading up into the hotel and down into the basement levels. There was no way to count the number of broken bed frames, battered armoires, and an assortment of bedroom furniture.

A lone beer bottle d
angled from the middle of the staircase. It was hung from a string that ran up higher than the sunlight cascading through the open emergency door would allow Chris to see. He took a few hesitant steps, never forgetting the surge of death moving in their direction. He pushed himself up on his tiptoes, tugged at the bottle, and pulled it free.

“We
’re running low on time.”

He
heard Jafar’s warning and out of the corner of his eye, he saw him raise his pistol to fire. Chris removed a rolled piece of paper from the top of the bottle, opened it up, and read the words. The inscription was short, to the point, and would have been useful a few minutes prior.
Pull open the main set of elevators on the second floor and climb the ladder.
Chris rolled his eyes. “Now you tell me.” He pushed his way back in to the main room. “We’re not getting up this way.”

The dead
filed in fast. Chris urged the group back in the direction they came, staying near the exterior wall, and hunched as close to the ground as they could manage. The leading pack of the dead was comprised of two dozen or more. Most were clad in dealer’s vests, still proudly displaying the casino’s patch over the shirt pocket.

Chris neared the midway point of the gaming floor and knew at once
that they would not make it to the main doors. There was a fight coming and only a precious few seconds remained. He slid his rifle over his shoulder and barked at Jafar, “Grab that end.” He motioned to the opposite side of a roulette table and Jafar appeared to understand his approach.

There was no sense
in using the few remaining precious rounds. Chris was moving again, this time with him holding the roulette table at one end and Jafar at the other. Everyone else pulled in close behind the table. The dead closed in all around them, their arms stretched out for a piece of living tissue.

“Hold it steady and wait
for my signal,” Chris said.

He was straining. The weight of the table was about as much as he could bear. He clenched on with the tips of his fingers, leaning forward to keep his momentum going. He kept one eye on the dead as they closed in only a few feet away and another on the short set of stair
s beyond them which led up to the foyer.

“Now!”

Chris and Jafar rushed forward and gave the table a solid thrust. Michael followed through from behind and the result was a monstrous groan from the zombie horde pushing toward them. The table crashed down on the front of the group and smashed them back into the rest. The move trapped the front line on the ground and forced the remainder to move around.

Michael came out in front of Chris and reached the stairs first.
They looked back at the true size of the dead now filling in the floor from every available opening. Chris climbed the stairs and pulled Alicen up in front of him. Jafar backed up one step at a time and Chris turned his attention on the grand foyer.