As the World Dies (13 page)

    The sun continued its steady downward path toward the horizon as they traveled on. It began to grow cooler and Eric worried about Stacey since she was in shorts and a tank top. He glanced into his rearview mirror to see if she was awake and he saw Sean rise to his knees. In the reflection, he could clearly see the twin's back and Eric felt his hair rise on his neck. Something wasn't right.

    "Stacey, wake up," Eric said and grabbed hold of her hand. "Stacey!"

    Pepe woke up and immediately began to bark as Stacey's head suddenly jerked up and she gripped hard onto Eric.

    "They're here?"

    "No," Eric shouted back at her and gripped the handlebars tightly. "It's Sean!"

    Stacey turned around as her brother struggled to turn around on the trailer. His face came into view and Stacey began to scream. Sean’s were eyes milky in death and his mouth contorted grotesquely as he let out a bloodcurdling screech.

Chapter Seventeen

Nowhere is Safe

    His first impulse was to slam on the brakes, but an image of the now zombified Sean flying off the trailer and into them quickly changed his mind. Instead, he accelerated and saw Sean lose his balance and fall backwards onto the blue tarp.

    "Oh, God! Oh, God! No! No! No!"

    Stacey's agonized voice was torn away by the wind, but Eric could feel the harsh trembling of her body against his.

    "You're going to have to shoot him, Stacey," Eric yelled at her.

    "I can't! It's my brother!"

    Pepe was twisting around inside Eric's jacket, barking loudly. His little claws scrabbled against Eric's chest as he tried to get leverage to bark at the zombie.

    Meanwhile, the zombie that had been Stacey's twin brother managed to regain its balance and heave itself up onto its knees. Its hands gripped the ropes holding down the tarp and it began to crawl along the trailer bed toward the two humans on the ATV.

    "Stacey, shoot it!"

    Eric accelerated once more, hoping the wind sheer would knock the zombie over and hopefully off the trailer. It didn't work. The creature had its fingers hooked firmly around the ropes and was moving closer.

    "Sean, please stop it! This isn't funny! Stop joking!"

    "He's not joking, Stacey! Look at his eyes!"

    She let out another agonized wail of despair and Eric didn't blame her. He remembered his own horror at seeing Brandy stumbling toward him. It had been almost too much to comprehend or accept.

    "Stacey, shoot him! Shoot him or he's going to jump onto us and then we're going to die!"

    Pepe kept barking and growling below his chin and Eric felt his stomach knot even more as Stacey remained unmoving behind him.

    "I can't use the shotgun," she finally said.

    Eric grabbed her hand that was around his waist and guided it to the revolver tucked into his belt. Her fingers were shaking and he squeezed them for a second, then let go. He didn't dare take his eyes off the road.

    The sun was moving behind the hills now and the world was darker and colder. The headlights of the ATV illuminated the darkening road before them as the world entered the twilight world of dusk. Stacey pulled the revolver free and tightened her grip on Eric's waist with her other arm as she turned backwards to fire.

    The zombie reached the end of the trailer and began to pull itself up to its knees. It would be easy for it to launch itself over the trailer hitch and onto the back of the ATV. Eric tried not to keep checking the mirrors, but the terrible fear that the creature would leap onto them gripped his heart in a vice grip. It was too easy to imagine the creature jumping onto Stacey.

    "Shoot him!"

    He could feel her body heaving with her sobs and her arm tightened even more around his waist. Glancing into the mirror, he saw the creature rising up and preparing to leap onto Stacey. It opened its mouth and screeched an ungodly sound that ripped at Eric's ears even over the sound of the ATV’s engine. It's hands reached out for Stacey.

    Just as the creature began to launch itself over the hitch, the gun flashed and the creature jerked backwards as the bullet punched through its shoulder.

    "In the head!"

    "I missed! Okay?"

    The road was climbing and winding around the hill and Eric tried to keep his hands steady as he guided the vehicle.

    “Shoot him, Stacey! Do it!”

    The creature that had once been Sean struggled to get back onto its knees and Stacey fired again. The zombie jerked to one side as the bullet grazed its arm, but it did not stop it. It leaped across the trailer hitch howling as it made a grab for Stacey.

    Eric jerked the ATV to one side and Stacey crushed him as she tried to avoid the creature's clawed hand and not fall onto the asphalt rushing under the wheels of the four-wheel drive. Pepe yelped as they were all whipped to one side as the ATV swerved.

    The zombie's hand managed to only grip Stacey's shirt for a second then it fell and tumbled down the road behind them.

    "I'm okay! I'm okay!" Stacey's voice was strained.

    Eric made himself slow down as they continued down the winding road and tried to breathe normally. Pepe, seeming to understand how close they had come to disaster, hunkered down in Eric's jacket and shivered.

    Night was coming fast and as they roared around a curve in the road in the distance a town came into view.

    It was Ashley Oaks.

    "That's it!" Eric said excitedly and slowed the ATV to a stop. "I need to double-check the map now."

    Stacey nodded and climbed off the vehicle, the revolver still in her hand. Shaking, she touched his arm.

    "Check my back. Tell me he didn't infect me."

    Eric felt his gut churn at the thought of losing her. He barely knew her, but she already felt like a friend. "Okay."

    Stacey turned around and Eric saw blood on her shirt. He reached out slowly and nervously. Pulling her shirt up, her long, lean, and muscled back came into view along with the thick band of her sports bra. Her skin was unmarred.

    "It's okay. You're okay. He didn't even scratch you."

    Stacey whirled around and threw her arms around Eric. She sobbed loudly and he felt her tears on his neck and shoulder.

    Gently, he held her close and whispered, "You're okay. You're okay."

    Pepe began squirming, not liking to be squished between the two of them, and Stacey stepped back.

    "I thought for a moment…when my shirt was wet…"

    "It’s his blood. Not yours."

    She wiped her tears away and looked toward the brilliant pinks and purples decorating the horizon as the night unfurled across the wide Texas sky.

    Eric reached out and smoothed her bangs back from her damp forehead. "Stacey, I'm sorry."

    Her lips trembled and her nose ran as she nodded mutely. Tears streamed down her dirty, reddened face and she wiped her nose on the back of the hand still holding the revolver.

    "I just want to be safe. I just want it to end," she said in a soft voice.

    "I know. I do." Eric sighed wearily. "I thought I was safe until today."

    "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "We did that to you."

    "No. No. I was never really safe in the farmhouse. Not really. I always knew that those things could get out of the community center. I was just too scared to take a risk and go somewhere else. I got too comfortable." He laughed a little. "So much for comfort now, huh?"

    She wiped her nose again and said in a quivering voice, "But you had an escape planned. You saved us."

    Eric looked down at the map, blushing a little. He hadn't expected to be a hero. He had just wanted to be ready. "Well, we're not completely safe yet."

    Down below there was light in one central position. Eric checked the map then lifted the binoculars. It took him a moment to figure out exactly where the lights were coming from, but suddenly a construction site in the middle of town swam into view. Apparently a new building was being constructed near a ten-story red brick building and a smaller building from the same era. Construction trucks that appeared to have sandbags or cement bags shoved under them and between the cabs to form a massive wall surrounded it.

    "Shit," Eric whispered.

    "What is it?"

    Eric handed her the binoculars. "Train it on the lights down there."

    Stacey lifted the small binoculars with one hand and studied the construction site. "Oh, my God. That's like…what…a hundred zombies? Two hundred?"

    Eric took back the binoculars and checked again. He could see how they had used large storage containers to block off the two side streets and corral the zombies directly in front of the construction site. The approach along the side streets was probably safest, but he couldn't be sure. The undead throng was massive.

    "We're going there?"

    "Yeah," Eric answered. "Yeah."

    Suddenly, Pepe began howling loudly and startled Eric by popping his head out of the jacket collar. Stacey turned and looked down the road. The expression on her face said it all. Eric twisted around in the seat and saw Sean running up the road. His head was lolling to one side and one arm was obviously broken in multiple places, but he was racing toward them with one hand held out.

    Stacey raised the gun and fired once.

    The bullet sliced through Sean's forehead and blew out the back of his head. His body fell forward, was carried by his momentum and slid to a stop.

    Sniffling, Stacey turned back to Eric and said, "Please, let's just find someplace safe. Please."

    Eric reached out to her and she handed him the gun. Sliding onto the ATV behind him, she laid her head against his shoulder and wept.

Chapter Eighteen

Refuge

    The ATV idled at the outskirts of the town. Now that night was coming, it was clear to them that going into the town was maybe not the best idea. Darkness would take away their ability to see what was coming. The going into a house or a building for shelter was also risky. They were at a loss as to what to do.

    Stacey shivered from the coolness of the Spring night and Eric slid his light jacket off and handed it to her. She took it silently, pulled it on and stuffed Pepe inside. The little dog curled up and yawned. Eric didn’t blame him. He was exhausted, too. Eric's gaze swept over the road leading to town and he pushed his glasses up on his nose. Sitting in the middle of the road was certainly not a good idea. They needed to be out of sight and safe.

    He lifted his eyes and suddenly knew what they had to do.

    "The water tower."

    "What?"

    Eric turned to Stacey. "The water tower. It's like a block away. We can climb the ladder and hang out there tonight."

    "That's like one hundred and fifty feet up!"

    "Exactly."

    She looked toward the quaint old water tower. In the dark it looked strangely homey. "Can they climb it?"

    "I don't think so. They don't seem all that smart the longer they’re dead. Remember them pitching head first out of the window?"

    She nodded and rubbed the top of Pepe's head thoughtfully. "Okay. I'm cold and I just want to be safe.”

    "We'll use the tarp to rig a tent or something. I got bedding on the back of the trailer. We'll take supplies up there with us and hang out there tonight or until we can figure out how to get to the fort."

    Stacey rubbed her nose and nodded. "Okay."

    Eric shifted gears and Stacey took the revolver from his belt. It was better to be safe than sorry.

    The water tower was not far up a side road that was unpopulated by buildings. The darkness hovering between the trees was intimidating, but Pepe remained quiet and they took it as a good sign. The moon was full and the light helped Eric maneuver to the tower over the uneven ground.

    A large sign that read "Any Unauthorized Climbing of the tower is a violation of trespassing laws. You will be arrested” was set up in plain view.

    "Guess they had a problem with the kids," Stacey decided.

    "Probably the place to hang out in a town like this," Eric joked.

    "Yeah, in my town it was the school stadium bleachers. Or under them, I should say," Stacey answered. "Not that I was ever under there!"

    Eric laughed and parked under the tower. "Of course not."

    Stacey forced a little smile and slid off the ATV. Holding Pepe tight, she stared up at the water tower. Eric turned off the ATV and hopped off. Walking over to the ladder he made note of the chain wrapped around the ladder several times over the rungs about five feet up. Another sign hung from the chain. It had the same threat as the big sign.