'Til Death Do Us Part (8 page)

He wished he could bolster her argument above and beyond their food stores
,
but maybe she did have it right. They were alive after so many
countless billions had perished;
she
’
d done something right to keep them safe so far. And just because Mike was dead, Gary didn
’
t think Eliza was done with the Talbot clan by any stretch of the imagination.

“
We
’
re leaving within the hour.
”
Gary said
before he turned to walk out the door
.
He
watched as she blanched from his words.
“
I hope you come
,
but I
’
ll understand if you don
’
t.
”

“
Just make sure you lock the door on your way out.
”
And with those words Mary completely shut the door on the topic
.

***

BT
lifted his chin to Gary as Gary walked in the room, as if to ask
‘
Well?
’

Gary shook his head side to side and looked down.

“
We
’
re going to need wheels soon,
”
BT said, trying to plan out there escape.

“
Mary h
as a car in the detached garage,
”
Mrs.
Deneaux
said.
“
We could take that.
”

“
No,
”
Gary said forcibly.
“
She
’
ll need it eventually.
”

“
She
’
s not going anywhere. Poor
damn thing has lost her marbles,
”
s
he said as she spun her cigarette laden hand around the right side of her head, the cherry leaving tracers in the murkiness.

“
What is wrong with you?
”
BT asked.
“
Gary
’
s right
. A
t some point she
’
s going to realize she needs to get out of here. Her maternal instinct will kick in eventually.
”

“
Let
’
s hope it isn
’
t like that poor lass that lined up her children against t
he truck like they were targets.
That was horrible
,
”
she added a
t the end like an afterthought.

BT shook his head.
“
I
’
d trade a thousand of you for Mike.
”

“
But y
et here I am,
”
s
he smiled.

“
I
’
d leave you here to fester in your own corroded soul
,
but that wouldn
’
t be fair to Mary,
”
BT said.
“
Ten minutes and we
’
re leaving.
”

Gary started grabbing their meager possessions and loading the guns.
Deneaux
continued
smoking.

BT k
ept staring out the window.
It
was still night time
,
but the sky was lit up from the blaze of at least a hundred houses. Smoke was drifting lazily across the front lawn.

“
Yeah…
that
’
s not too fucking eerie,
”
BT said as he watched the swirls of smoke pass by.
“
A thousand zombies could be hiding on the other side of that mist.
”

“
You say something?
”
Gary asked as he tried to
jam a sixth bullet into a five-
bullet cartridge.

“
You were the fastest sperm?
”
Deneaux questioned Gary.
“
Must not have been much to cho
o
se f
rom,
”
s
he laughed.

Gary stood.
“
I rue the day I ever met you,
”
h
e said as he put the backpack Josh had given him on. He strode over to BT to see outside.
“
Wow, the city is burning.
”

“
Rue?
”
BT asked as an aside.

“
It
’
s all I could come up with.
”

“
I guess it works. You alright?
”
BT asked seriously.

“
No, I
’
ve now had two brothers die, neither of which I was able to bury. My father expected me to bring Mike back and I failed.
”

BT placed his arm around Gary
’
s shoulder.
He
knew Anthony Talbot had actually demanded that Mike bring Gary back
,
but he wasn
’
t going to correct him…not now…
not ever.

“
This is war
, Gary.
There
aren
’
t promises you can always keep. People are going to
die, good men are going to die,
”
h
e added for emphasis.

Gary broke down for a moment, silent tears dropped from his face as his throat constricted.

“
Don
’
t you say a fucking word!
”
BT said
,
pointing
a meaty finger at Mrs.
Deneaux
.

She placed her hands up as if to say
‘
I
’
m innocent.
’

Mary was standing where Mrs.
Deneaux
had been moments earlier.

Ga
ry turned to see her;
his heart momentarily lifted when he thought she may have changed her mind.

“
My neighbor across the street left his second car. He gave me the keys when he left, said I could have it if I wanted
.
They’re
hanging on the peg in the kitchen
.
”

“
Mrs.
Deneaux
said you had a car,
”
BT said.

“
I do, but it doesn
’
t run and he knew it,
”
s
he said.

“
You keep it
, Mary.
I
’
ll give you my father
’
s address,
come up there when you have to,
”
Gary said.

“
I
’
ve already told you we
’
re not leaving.
We’re
never
leaving.
”

BT shivered at her use of the word never, it left very little room for doubt.

“
You don
’
t know that,
”
Gary intoned.
“
Things change.
”

“
It
’
s too late anyway,
”
s
he said in that far away voice.

“
Too late for what?
”
Gary asked as alarm began to spread throughout his body.

“
The whelp,
”
Mrs.
Deneaux
said blandly.

“
What did you do?
”
BT asked.
Gary was already heading up the stairs. BT was following.

“
Too late,
”
s
he repeated as she sat down heavily on the couch.

“
Josh!
”
Gary yelled.
“
Josh!
”
h
e yelled again as he ran into Mary
’
s room. The boy was in virtually the same position he had been when he
first ca
me up to ask Mary to leave with them.
Gary took in the whole scene before him, an open bottle of pills and an empty glass of what appeared to have contained chocolate milk judging by the residue around the lip.

“
Josh!
”
Gary said running to the side of the bed and grabbing the boy.

“
What happened?
”
BT
yelled
.

“
Pills,
”
Gary said
,
feeling the
boy’s
neck for a pulse.
“
BT
,
I can
’
t feel anything.
”
Gary was panicking.

“
I know CPR, put him on the floor.
”

Gary quickly did as BT said. BT had been around
enough death to know when the Angel of D
arkness had already come and gone
.
Josh had departed long moments previous
,
but
he
still tried for fifteen minutes before his arms and lungs burned from the effort.

“
I
’
ll try now!
Just show me what to do,
”
Gary pleaded as BT sat up against the wall, his hands tightly clasped together to keep them from shaking.

“
It
’
s too late, Gary
,
he
’
s gone,
”
BT said
while lightly
smacking the back of his head against the wall.

“
What? He can
’
t be. T
hat
’
s impossible. Just show me what to do!
”
Gary yelled.

Gary started pressing on the boy
’
s chest, mimicking BT
’
s earlier efforts.

“
Gary stop,
”
BT said calmly.
“
Put him on the bed, let him rest in peace.
”

Mary had at some point come back upstairs and was leaning up against the door frame
;
heavy tears were dropping.
“
Don
’
t you see it
’
s for the best,
”
s
he was telling them.

“
You
’
re insane!
”
Gary said
,
advancing on the woman who was shrinking
back.
BT stood quickly and grabbed Gary.
“
He
’
s the future!
”
h
e spat.

“
There is no future,
”
s
he sobbed quietly.

Gary shrugged away from BT
who cautiously
let him
go
. Gary brushed past Mary without glancing at her.
“
I
’
ve got to get out of here,
”
h
e said as he headed down the stairs.

“
It
’
s better this way,
”
Mary said pleading her case with BT.

“
I
’
ll never agree with you
, Mary.
You
just killed so
mething beautiful in this world.
I hope your God forgives you
,
because I won
’
t,
”
BT said as he left the room, Mary was still sobbing on the hallway floor when the trio departed.