Foamers (4 page)

In a flash, X grabbed the handle of the cop’s Taser as he pushed the safety release
button on the holster with his other hand. The terrified police officer reached for
X, but he chopped the cop’s arm away and shot the handheld lightning onto the man’s
chest. The cop fell to the ground like a fallen tree as the volts poured through
him. X followed him to the ground and took the handcuffs from his belt. Rolling the
officer over, he cuffed his hands behind his back. The officer’s body was serving
as the door prop.

“Smells like bacon,” X said as he pulled a key ring off the man’s belt and handed
the Taser to Kade. “Watch him. I’ll go get our poe poe.”

Kade was stunned to silence but was thrilled to have X with them, if only until Houghton.

He didn’t have time to enjoy his happiness, as the police officer attempted to get
to his feet. Kade pulled the trigger again, sending a crackle of electricity through
the man’s body.

“Please, just hold still,” he said. Shocking a cop was causing a conflict between
his old world and primal self. Kade had felt that same conflict embracing the stolen
ambulance. He knew that it would serve his group better than shuttling comas to
the hospital, but at the same time he had taken away someone’s safety blanket. He
doubted these would be the last conflicts he had to face, but the Primal Age would
take more adjusting than he had thought.

X arrived with Victoria and Mick in tow.

“You can’t Taze a cop,” Mick said upon seeing his comrade on the ground.

“I just did. And if you hadn’t got yourself pinched I wouldn’t have had to,” X replied.

“Did you even try talking to him and explaining the situation?”

“I figured if he hadn’t believed whatever you told him, what chance would I have?
I’m not a man for diplomacy; I’m a man of action.”

“The longer we stand here the more danger we put the others in,” Kade said.

X stepped over the Taser wires and left the station. Victoria followed X, but Mick
stayed beside his fellow officer.

“Can I ask him?” Mick said to Kade.

Kade nodded.

Mick knelt so he could see the cop’s eyes. “I know what I am about to tell you is
going to sound crazy, but everything we know has changed. Most of the country is
either dead or monsters. You should come with us.”

“I won’t be party to whatever scheme you guys are pulling. I’ve seen all your faces.
You just wait until the other units get back.”

“No one will be coming.” Mick pressed his hand to the cold floor and stood, taking
a deep breath to clear his mind. “Last chance.”

“I can’t wait to see the look on your face when we arrest you.”

Kade set the Taser between the officer’s shoulder blades, then ushered Mick through
the door.

“Forget about it, bud. You tried,” Kade said as they split for opposite vehicles.

“Yeah. We tried,” Mick replied, avoiding his friend’s eyes as he climbed into the
driver’s seat of the cop car.

Kade felt a pang of worry for his friend’s ability to cope with the realities of
what they would have to face in the Primal Age.

___________

Kade regrouped his friends and they began their journey shortly after four a.m. The
trip
had proceeded smoothly, no signs of foamers, and they only had to navigate around
two road blockages.

Sunrise neared as the convoy approached their first scheduled stop. Kade tried not
to get comfortable with the time they were making, knowing that at any moment, they
could be faced with a major obstacle.

“You should have let someone else go after Mick,” Tiny said.

Kade leaned his tired head against the bus seat. “Why?”

“We can’t lose you.”

“I’m the only one of us that’s already dead. Might as well be the one in harm’s way.”

Tiny’s warm eyes drew him in like a set of magnets. “You’re the one everyone is looking
to. The Primal Age is no longer a fun idea to kick around while you drink and watch
movies. This is for real. Like it or not, we need you.”

He creaked back into the brown pleather seat with a blank look on his face.

“Before you go all self-pitying bullshit, I’ve got a problem,” she said, glancing
at him in the mirror. “Lucas. He told me he loved me. Can you talk to him?”

When Kade offered no response, she punched the steering wheel.

He felt as if he had just swallowed a boiling pot of needles. It took all his strength
to keep his face from betraying him as he went through his logical disassociation.
Lucas was, in fact, not going to die of a neurodegenerative disease at a young age,
automatically making him a better candidate for Tiny.

Lucas was the best man to lead this group, and Kade didn’t want to create a situation
where he would run the risk of losing him. He knew more than anyone on the Primal
Age. Between his knowledge and skills, he was their most valuable member. Maybe once
they were settled he could persuade Tiny into giving him a chance, as much as he
didn’t like the idea.

After gathering his composure, Kade calmly set the shotgun on the seat and pulled
himself to his feet. Argos glanced at him before laying his head back down. Crossing
the aisle, Kade had no idea what to say to her. Instead, he put his hands on her
shoulders and let his thumbs work into her back. At the first point of pressure on
a knot, her shoulders scrunched and her head tipped up.

“Too rough?” Kade asked.

She shook her head. “No, you’re good.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll just blow over or something.” His fingers pressed
under her sweatshirt and found her warm skin. He closed his eyes, trying to keep
his heartbeat from giving him away.

“That’s the best idea you have?” she said, her brown eyes focusing on him.

He brought his eyes back to the road as his fingers danced along her shoulders. “Let’s
worry about getting there. Then we can worry about his feelings.”

She lowered her gaze and looked out the window. “Looks like rain’s on the way.”

He stared out the window at storm clouds rolling toward them from the southwest.

“
Little sister to big brother
,” Ashton’s voice chimed through the receiver.

The sound of her voice put Kade at ease. If she was talking, she was all right. He
felt as if he had put his life force into her, and losing her was the worst thing
that could happen.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie and massaged Tiny’s neck with his free hand. “Big brother,
here.”

“
We’re passing the Selinsgrove Sheetz to scout ahead a bit, but we’ll double back
and meet you inside
,” Ashton replied.

“I’ll put a hot dog on for you,” he said, and tossed the walkie-talkie back on the
dash.

Selinsgrove was roughly a third of the way to Houghton, but still close enough to
home that they were familiar with the area. The town sprang up along the highway.
One moment, all that could be seen were trees and road; the next, there was a four-mile
strip mall with a traffic light every quarter mile.

“I’m impressed that you trust X with Ash,” Tiny said.

Kade pressed his fingertips against her milky skin. “Keep talking.”

He didn’t have to see her face to know she was smiling. She could play his emotions
better than Mozart played the piano.

“Kade doesn’t know what his little sister is thinking?” she teased.

“Don’t make me beat it out of you.”

A small laugh escaped her. “Like you could. Ashton is crushing on X. Can you blame
her? The whole lone wolf thing, but not in the mopey way you do it. Besides, those
eyes—there’s just something about those black eyes.”

Kade’s hands stopped moving. He couldn’t believe he had entrusted his sister’s safekeeping
to the one person with whom she was infatuated, and more so, that person was X.

Tiny playfully smacked his hand. “I didn’t say you could stop.”

His fingers went back to their magic, massaging her until they were numb and his
brain was clear. The storm clouds were nearly upon the convoy by the time they pulled
under the awning at a gas station.

Kade was relieved to find the pumps still had power, a sign the building still had
power. That would allow them to save their reserves.

Lucas was the first to meet Kade and Tiny as they approached the Sheetz. The three
didn’t exchange a word in the thick, awkward silence. Mick and Victoria joined them
at the door, easing the tension. Mick wore his uniform and police utility belt that
had a SIG Saur handgun, collapsible baton, handcuffs, Taser, and mace.

Everyone had armed themselves in anticipation of foamers. Lucas had his hunting
bow in his hand, and Mick had given Victoria a pistol. Victoria tried to hold the
pistol in a ready position with one hand on the grip cupping the base, but she could
not stop shaking. Kade placed a hand on her elbow to relax her. Tiny bored visual
holes into him while he helped guide Victoria. He wished he could say he wasn’t afraid
of Tiny or that he didn’t understand her jealousy. With her assault rifle strapped
across her chest, sidearm and combat knife attached to her hips, and raging spirit,
she made Godzilla seem like a pet lizard.

As he appraised the Sheetz, he wondered if this was what the first pioneers felt
like, stepping into uncharted territory. The uncertainty of what they would find
behind the familiar door had Kade both excited and afraid. When they reached the
entrance, the sensor didn’t go off. All the Primal Age planning couldn’t simulate
the tension of the unknown brought about by the real thing.

“Everyone, let’s take a deep breath and relax,” Kade said, trying to follow his own
advice. “Mick, would you open the door, please?”

“That’s breaking and entering,” Mick said.

“Give me the baton then,” Kade replied.

Mick pulled his baton from his belt and extended it with a flick of his wrist. He
hauled back and swung hard against the glass crashing through the door. Jerking the
baton around the frame, Mick cleared the jagged edges. Kade stretched his leg inside
the Sheetz store and ducked under the push bar. He drew the stock of the shotgun
to his shoulder and aimed down the barrel as he canvassed the store.

As he scanned the kidney-bean layout, the crunch of the broken glass let him know
the others were following. He surveyed over the counter to the racks of chips and
coffee filling station. His vision drifted to the coolers of beverages in the back,
to the chocolate milk in particular. This could be the last time he would ever have
chocolate milk. Something so common and ordinary would now be extinct from his life.

The heightened sense of awareness was something he hadn’t felt in years; not since
he was a soccer goalie had he felt the cold tingle along his spine. It was the sensation
of the world slowing down. The feeling was rooted in fear, but it wasn’t fear.

Argos growled as he took a defensive post beside Kade. The dog’s hair stood like
needles. Three people stepped out from the ends of the aisles: two men in their late
twenties and one teenage girl. The males both had hunting rifles. One had a shaved
head, while the other had an unkempt mop of blond hair. They were, unmistakably,
brothers.

The girl came down the center aisle with a double-barrel shotgun. She didn’t look
much older than Ashton. Her tense muscles caused her to move like a robot. Her mouth
was set in an unwavering straight line and was clenched so tight that her pulse visibly
pounded in her temples.

“Drop your weapons,” the one with the shaved head said.

Kade’s group formed around him. Tiny planted herself on his left side with Argos.
Mick and Lucas posted on his right.

Kade heard the tension pull in Lucas’s bowstring. He had no idea where Victoria was,
but he doubted she’d be of any use. Slowing his beating heart, he breathed, embracing
the cold tingle. He hadn’t expected to confront people so soon. This was something
he should have given more thought to, and he hated himself for not thinking there
would be other armed survivors along the way. He had thought the letter would have
given him enough of an advantage to get to Houghton, before the surviving population
caught on to what had happened.

“We’re not looking for trouble. Just refueling, then we’ll be on our way,” Kade said,
keeping his voice even.

Kade knew the rifles were of a midsized caliber, and they would each be lucky to
get off one shot before they were hit. The double barrel the girl was holding would
do a significant amount of damage to them, but depending on the gauge they would
all walk away with minor wounds. The worst volley his group could possibly take would
be two from both the rifle and shotgun. It would be unlikely that his group wouldn’t
win the draw.

“Chris said to drop your weapons,” the one with the mop top said.

Kade knew he couldn’t leave his group defenseless, not when they had the advantage.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tiny checking for orders.

“Put yours down first, and we’ll drop ours,” Kade replied.

“Brian,” Chris said, “they don’t seem to understand what we’re saying. Put down your
weapons, or we’ll put a hole in your head.”

“You’re outgunned. This isn’t a draw you want,” Kade replied. By sheer numbers, his
group would be the victors, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have casualties.

“They think they’re all scary with their big guns. Will, meet our new friends,” Chris
called out.

From behind the counter, Will rose and aimed at the cohort.

“I’ll cover center,” Mick said, moving his aim to the lone woman of the opposition.

Kade faced the third brother. He had an AK-47 with a drum magazine attachment. That
was enough to put holes in all of them before they could pull a trigger. Kade’s options
were to surrender, or strike first.

“We’re not going to ask you again. Put your weapons down, and then we can have a
civilized conversation,” Will said, with a soft compassion in his voice that almost
made Kade want to believe him. Kade’s concern was if they had shown their whole hand
or if they had more cards up their sleeve.

He had to give a command. They could try to take them by force, but what for? A Sheetz?
The second to last thing he wanted to do was leave his team vulnerable, but the last
thing he wanted to do was get one of them killed. He flicked the safety on his shotgun.

The eldest brother smiled victoriously. X rushed in from outside and vaulted over
the counter, landing behind Will. The blade of the predator knife slid under his
throat, holding tight as X aimed his .357 revolver at the others. Will’s smile disappeared
when he set the rifle on the counter. X’s coal-colored eyes flicked from attacker
to attacker.

“Guys, lay them down. No reason to be impolite,” Will said. The lone girl dropped
her double barrel to the ground and backed away like it would bite. The two remaining
brothers surrendered their rifles reluctantly and stood with their hands up. X winked
at Kade as Ashton came into the Sheetz and a shocked smile broke across her face.

“Grace!” she yelled, embracing the blond girl. When they parted, they still held
on to each other’s forearms. Kade felt lucky and confused to have had a Mexican standoff
with someone his sister knew.

“What are you doing here?” Ashton asked.

“Everyone we knew just started going crazy. We thought it would be a good idea to
get out of town. Turns out it wasn’t just our town,” Grace said.

“Nope,” Victoria chimed in. “It’s everywhere. Now we’re off to Houghton College,
following the orders of the man who made the mess in the first place. It makes so
much sense.” “Victoria,” Kade said, silencing her before she gave up any more information.
They didn’t need to give their adversaries any more intelligence; their location
was already too much.

X shoved Will through the store to group him with his family. Will stumbled and glared
with fiery hatred at X.

Kade tapped his thumb off of his fingers. “Ash, who’s your friend?”

“Oh, sorry. Grace, this is my brother, Kade,” Ashton looked back at him, her auburn
braid hanging past her shoulder. “She and I played USA soccer together for, like,
six years.” “Do you have any craftsmen?” Will said, sizing up each member of the
cohort.

Kade gathered his thoughts while he scratched the Argos’s ears.

“We’re Wilson Brothers’ Contracting. Our van is stuck behind the traffic jam,” Will
said.

X nodded. “He’s not lying. There is a rape van on this end of the jam.”

“The jam?” Kade asked, his attention turning to X.

“The road is backed up almost to the gas station,” X replied.

“I have a proposal for you: We’ll help you guys clear the cars, since it’s in both
our interests. When the job is done, you can decide if we can join you,” Will said.

Kade looked from friend to friend seeking help, but they all avoided his plea. “Let’s
catch our breath, and then we can clear the road.”

Kade hurried away from the two groups to the glass refrigerators in the back of
the store. The intensity of the moment made him feel like a balloon that just had
all of its air let out. He opened the refrigerator door and let the air dry the sweat
beading on his forehead. He snatched a half-gallon of chocolate milk and took a few
gulps, loving the feel of the cold liquid in his mouth.