Earth's Survivors Apocalypse (25 page)

“I guess you're right, Bob. Candace, why don't you and the others go back inside and get the doors up. We'll pull the Jeeps in... Okay?” She hugged him fiercely before she let go and ran back into the station. The three of them quickly drove the Jeeps into the service bays, and then locked the wide doors behind them. They locked the front door to the station as well, and they all walked back into the rear section of the garage bays by a small parts room.

Mike propped open the door to the parts room, and turned a small light on inside. The bulb was dim, but flooded weak yellow light out into the garage area, it was enough, he felt, if the Suburban came back he didn't want them to be perfectly silhouetted inside the station by the florescent overheads in the garage bay.

Candace and Connie began to fix some cold sandwiches, while the others unloaded the sleeping bags and ice chests from the Jeeps.

Mike was into his second beer and his heart was just beginning to resume a somewhat normal beat. Terry walked back from the front of the garage where he had been staring out into the rain. They all half expected the Suburban to come roaring back at any second. The rifles were out of the Jeeps now. Close at hand, just in case. Candace and Connie brought a large stack of sandwiches over, and both grabbed a cold drink, sitting down as Bob began to speak.

“This changes everything,” he said to no one in particular. “I don't think it's a good idea to just ignore it either.”

Mike took a deep gulp of the beer before he spoke. “I guess you're right, Bob and, it was stupid to think we should keep it to ourselves. I shouldn't have suggested it.” He looked around at the small group of frightened people and his eyes locked on Candace's as he continued to speak. “I thought it would shake everyone up for no reason,” he said. The argument seemed empty and somewhat foolish even to him. “Bob's right though. We started to discuss it back in Watertown, and didn't. Maybe we should have...I don't know.”

His eyes were sad, Candace noticed, and he shrugged his shoulders helplessly when he finished. Silence hung thick in the air for a few minutes until Bob reluctantly began to speak again.

“I don't pretend to have an answer for one,” he said quietly, as he looked around from one to the other. “I guess we can only go with what we know for now. What I mean is what we know from our own personal experience back in Watertown,” he waited but no one spoke.

Bob continued. “I said before that I spent the night at the gravel pit, and I did, but I didn't sleep. I couldn't. I was too keyed up. Hell, we all were. Whatever this is it looks a lot worse now than it did then. This little trip has proven that it was not a localized thing. Probably Rochester is gone,” he shrugged. “No way to know, but is it worth an armed fight to find out? That sounds nuts, right?”

“No... Sounds sane,” Mike said. “We knew this, I think. I think we knew this. Maybe not that it would go this bad this fast, but I think we suspected... Suspected is a good word.”

“Possibly,” Bob replied. He shook his head. “No, most likely. Most likely subconsciously we knew and didn't want to face it. I guess the pretending is over now though... Maybe that's for the best before one of us gets killed taking too much for granted.”

Mike nodded. “I... No, Bob, I don't think you're nuts, if you are then we all are. I think the world ended. I mean the sensible part we all understood. I don't know what in hell this part is... I mean there has got to be some way to explain or at least understand this.”

“You just did,” Candace said quietly from beside him.

“She's right, Mike,” Bob said, “You did. I don't think this is a rational or predictable world anymore. If it isn't, then all that's left, Is simply survival or,” he motioned toward the outside, “Death... Let those people tell you how to live... Or Worse. There is no in between anymore, no walking the fence, the gloves are off, just one or the other.”

“So what’s next?” Gina asked, expectantly.

“If I knew that,” Bob answered. “I guess
I
would be God. I'm not, so I don't know...”

“...Just to make my position clear though, I don't intend to start waxing religious, but you can bet that I might just start praying. It used to seem superstitious to me. Not anymore. Now it seems important.”

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, and Connie spoke up. “But what should we do? Should we go back, or go into Rochester, or should we maybe go somewhere else?”

“I think that question needs to be answered by all of us individually,” Bob replied calmly. “It's not a question one person can answer, and we've pretty much stuck together so far, I can't see splitting up if there's a disagreement. I think we all need to decide together.”

“I don't see any reason to go back to Watertown,” Lilly said

“I agree,” Dave joined in.

“There's nothing there for us,” Patty said.

One by one they all voiced their opinions, until only John, Candace, Mike and Bob were left.

“I don't see the sense in it,” Mike said quietly. The remaining three nodded their heads in agreement.

“So... do we go into Rochester, or somewhere else?” Bob asked softly as he looked around the cramped garage.

“I for one would hate to think we came all this way for nothing,” John said. “I vote we go. If it's bad,” he shrugged his shoulders, “we get the hell out and go somewhere else.”

Bob looked back at the small group. “Well?”

Silently, they all nodded their heads in agreement.

“That's that then,” Bob said. “We'll go in the mornin',” he paused. “Tonight though, I think we need to keep watch. I'm going to take the first watch, who's next?”

“Me,” Ronnie said.

“I'll relieve you,” Dave said, “just get me up when you get tired.”

“That should see us through the night,” Bob said. “...I think it's best if we all sleep in here tonight, and on this side, behind the trucks. It might be a bit crowded, but I don't want to take any chances.” Bob finished, picked up his rifle, and headed towards the glass enclosed front of the gas station, and the small group began to break apart. Candace spoke up, after most of the others had drifted away.

“Mike?”

“Ssshh,” he said, as he put a finger over her lips, “no need.” He led her away and they pushed two sleeping bags together in front of one of the Jeeps.

“Mike?” she said, “I just need to be held.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “I need to hold you.” He took her into his arms and held her as he tried to push the thoughts that wanted to crowd his mind away. Candace slipped off to sleep quickly, but sleep eluded Mike. He lay quietly thinking, still holding her, until he drifted off to sleep himself much later.

March 14
th

Rochester NY: Mike and Candace

Morning.

He was still holding her when he awoke the next morning. Candace awoke a few minutes after he did. She kissed him softly, and said, “Thank you for not being like every other man I've met in my life. I could love you, Mike, you know that?”

Mike kissed her back, and then she left to help with breakfast. Bob wandered over, his eyes bloodshot, a rifle slung across his shoulder.

“Did you see anything last night, Bob,” Mike asked?

“Zip. I stayed up all night myself, whoever or whatever... They didn't come back.”

“I thought you were going to switch off with Ed. You should have got me up,” Mike said.

“Was gonna switch off, but... I don't know, Mike, there's somethin' strange with Ed. It seems like he's walking around with his head stuck halfway up his ass. I ain't so sure he's gonna make it,” Bob finished in a near whisper.

“It happens, some people can't take it when things get flaky, Bob. Still, you should have got me up.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now,” Bob said grinning. “Besides, it looked like Candace needed you. Looked like you needed her too,” he finished quietly.

“I think we all need each other,” Mike answered, “Ed will come around.”

Once everyone had eaten they packed up the Jeeps; unlocked the garage doors, and backed out into the already hot morning air.

Mike left the cab and motioned the others out of the Jeeps. The quiet of early morning descended.

“We don't know anything at all about what's next. If, after a night to sleep on it you have changed your mind, it's no sin... No one will blame you if you want to go back... Or even somewhere else.” He waited, but no one spoke. No nervous clearing of throats, no uneasy laughter. Nothing. “Okay,” he scrubbed at his face and the beard that was growing across his chin. Marveling at how it could be there at all. “I'd say windows down... Rifles loaded and safeties off... Watch... Follow my lead. If I back up and try to get out of there you follow me. Don't turn around, just keep it floored in reverse...  Let's just be smart. Maybe those guys were nothing but smoke.” The silence held.

“Smoke or not we can't run away,” John said. He straightened and smoothed his shirt front.

Mike nodded, looked around once more and then climbed back into the jeep.

They pulled off the service stations paved area; rolled slowly through the intersection and headed into the city of Rochester.

New York: Manhattan

Adam:

Adam
came awake with sunlight streaming in through the windshield of the small car. He recalled waking in the night, but could not recall why. The memory left him feeling somewhat uneasy, especially since he could not recall the why of it. Most probably, he thought, just the strangeness of the surroundings he found himself in.

The city seemed dead. He had been three days or so looking, sleeping wherever he had wound up. Twice gangs had come close to him, but had changed their minds. Something in his attitude told them he was looking for any excuse. He had stood waiting. Unconcerned, but they had turned away. Last night he had finally admitted he was not going to find he. He could have, maybe even had, driven by her already. There was no way to know. There were millions in this city, dead or alive. Millions, and how could you find one person in all that? You never thought about someone missing in all of that until it happened. Where would you even start to look?

Telephone and power poles crept from one side of the street to the other. In many places the wires had  fallen, but in others it looked as though nothing had ever happened. Adam turned his attention away from the endless wires and back to the interior of the car.

He had found the car empty last night after the truck had quit a few blocks to the east. A small white-plastic key fob dangled from the ignition switch. Adam pumped the gas pedal twice, and then reached forward and turned the key. The motor turned over slowly, but eventually caught and sputtered to life. A blare of static pealed forth from the radio, and he fumbled with the controls until he managed to turn it off. He looked around the interior of the car.

The old blue vinyl seats were ripped and stained. The Honda insignia, although cracked and dirty, was still firmly attached to the peeling and split dashboard. Trash littered the floorboards, and the shift knob was so worn he could barely make out the pattern imprinted into it. The motor sounded like a small sewing machine, but the choppy uneven idle smoothed out after a few minutes to a low hum. Adam shifted the car into first and pulled from the side of the road bumping over the trash that littered the street as he went.

The driving was slow going, but an hour later he reached the outskirts of Manhattan. For the last twenty minutes he had been driving on the sidewalks that cut around the stalled traffic, and the further he had gotten out of the city the more he had found himself having to slow down and cut around the stalled traffic. He finally realized there was no way to drive out of the mess that Manhattan had become. He sat quietly for a few moments then got the car turned around and headed back for Park Avenue.

He wound slowly through the stalled traffic, going around where he had to, and he was close to Central Park when the car became hopelessly wedged as he tried to get around several vehicles blocking the road. It had been close before, but this time it was pushed tight against a building and the front of a truck that had ended up on the sidewalk, and there was no hope of getting the car freed. One of the cars he had been trying to squeeze past had slipped over onto the hood of the small car, pushing it both tighter into the building and the cement sidewalk.

Adam shut it off, and leaving the keys in the switch where he had found them, walked off toward the park.

On the Road: Billy and Beth

The name of the place was Tonopah Arizona. Billy had eased the truck up onto I-10 and that had waked Beth up, the tires bouncing over the broken asphalt.

“Not a big city... A town from the looks of it. Phoenix is close. Ten, fifteen miles maybe. Can't really tell from the map,” Billy said. A gas station loomed out of the early morning gray and Billy wheeled the truck under the roof that covered the pumps. He shut off the motor, and they both listened to the tick of the cooling motor for a few seconds.

“Coffee would be real nice,” Beth said. “No way do we want to go into Phoenix... Too dangerous.” She yawned and then covered her mouth and laughed. “Jesus... Morning breath.” She zipped open her knapsack, retrieved a bottle of water, her toothbrush and some toothpaste. She stepped from the truck.

Billy opened his door and settled his feet onto the pavement. It wasn't just old pavement, it was gray, there was no black left in it, like it was completely washed out, used up. When his eyes came up they settled on Beth who stood slightly in front of the truck, her gun in one hand the toothbrush working around her mouth on its own. It was the stance of her body that warned him, the set of her shoulders. Her other hand was reaching for the rifle which was just coming free of her shoulder. Billy shrugged his own rifle off his shoulder and into his hands before he even saw what had alarmed her. She spit out the toothbrush, holstered the gun and flicked the safety off the rifle. Three men stepped out of the shadows of the open garage bay.

They were kids, Billy saw. Or at least not much more than kids. They walked slowly forward.

Beth raised the rifle and pointed it at the lead kid. “That's it, right there.” She said.

She didn't scream it, softly spoke it, Billy thought later, but the kid stopped in his tracks.

“What's with the fuckin' guns?” The kid asked.

“Ours weren't aimed at you until you aimed yours at us,” Billy said. He hoped he sounded as cool as Beth had.

“Bullshit,” one of the other kids said. “You had it in your hands when I looked at you. That's why I got mine ready.”

“I don't want to kill anyone today,” Beth said.

“It don't really bother me,” The third kid said. His eyes were blood shot. They had interrupted him while he was sleeping, it seemed. He kept rubbing at his eyes, Beth saw.

“I think you're right, it can't matter if you're dead,” Beth said.

“Hey, “ the lead kid said, “Maybe all's we want is to party a little.”

“Well I don't know if Billy swings that way,” Beth said.

“Pretty funny,” the kid responded. “Look... It's our town. We ain't the only ones here. You shoot there will be twenty more here in seconds. Then everybody dies.”

“Oh... I guess I didn't see it right,” Beth said. “I can see where it might be preferable to get raped and then murdered instead of getting murdered outright.”

The one in the back, the one with the sleepy eyes, stiffed a yawn and reflexively raised one hand to his mouth as his eyes slipped shut for a split second. Beth shot the lead kid in that split second, Billy had the second guy a moment later. The third kid opened his eyes to a changed situation.

“Just give me a reason,” Beth said. “Any reason.” The kid released the rifle he held and it dropped from his hands to the pavement.

“Can't shoot me I ain't got no gun... Can't...
Can't shoot me...”
He spun and looked off toward a rag tag collection of trailers that lined a dirt road in back of the station.
“Johnny!”
he screamed.
“Johnny! Killers!”
he turned back to Billy and Beth. “Can't shoot me... I ain't armed... Can't...” Billy shot him.

A second later the truck roared to life and Billy spun the wheel hard heading back towards the drop off from the pavement the way they had come.

Beth bounced around the cab and smacked her head hard enough on the windshield to star the glass when the truck left the pavement at better than fifty miles an hour and  hit the hard packed dirt that ran alongside I10. She finally got her balance, swept one hand across her forehead, looked at the blood and cursed lightly. Behind them three trucks had launched off the pavement and were running hard to catch them.

“Fuck me,” Billy said. He pushed the pedal to the floor, there was nothing else for it. The glass in the back window starred a second later as Beth rammed the rifle stock into it. Another hit and the glass fell out into the pickup bed area. She raised the rifle and began to fire back at the trucks. A second later a hole punched through the windshield to Billy's left. He mashed the pedal harder into the floorboard feeling the truck skate across the hardscrabble of the desert as the truck flew beside the highway.

“We have to get north, the other side of the highway. If they squeeze us south we'll be in the goddamn desert,”
Beth yelled above the scream of the engine.

“There are cars up there,”
Billy yelled back.
“On the highway!”

“There are bullets down here and they're gaining on us,”
Beth yelled back.

“Better sit down,”
Billy yelled.

“Just do it, Billy!”
She continued to fire out the back window.

Billy turned the wheel hard right and the truck lurched hard to the left, threatening to roll over as the center of gravity changed. It nearly rolled before it hit the edge of the pavement, broke over, and then became airborne. It came within ten feet of a wrecked semi and trailer and then it plunged off the other side of the highway so smoothly that billy couldn't believe it had actually landed.

“Nearly broke my neck slamming it into the ceiling,”
Beth yelled. She fell silent.
“I...”
She started, but an explosion from the highway stopped her words.

“Hit that fucking truck,”
Billy screamed.
“Has to be.”

“Keep it floored though, Billy. Keep it floored.”
She stayed where she was, staring out the back window, knees driven into the seat top. Billy's eyes strayed to her ass, and then snapped back to the road. He watched the hard packed earth fly by.

“Roads coming up... Like, dirt roads,” Billy said. He had no sooner said it than the truck hit the slight rise and flew across it.

“Like back roads, looks like,” Beth said. “Nothing on the map.” She was trying her best to read the map as the truck bounced and tilted. One hand clutching against the seat back held her in a somewhat stable position as she looked at the roads. “Looks like all dirt roads, back roads and then it falls away to nothing. Just keep it pointed at the mountains in the distance.” She turned completely around and sat down with the map in her lap. “Must have hit the truck or each other. Whatever it was I don't think they feel like coming after us again... Billy, we can't fuck up like that again. I don't know what the fuck I was thinking letting my guard down like that.”

Billy said nothing. Beth went back to reading the map.

“Start breaking left, Billy. There's a river... No, maybe some sort of waterway, not a river, too straight. It ends and then picks up again a few miles later. We can get through and into the desert from there.” She looked at the map for a few more minutes, “Maybe twenty miles or so.  Just run right by I10 and we should be good.” She turned and peeked over the back seat once more. “We're leaving a lot of dust, Billy.”

He looked over at her.