Mad World (Book 2): Sanctuary (3 page)

“Listen, I’ve heard of a safe place where you can hide, they will protect you,” said Paddy.

Jacob leaned out of the window.

“It’s north. In Canada,” said Paddy. Jacob’s eyebrows rose. He put a piece of paper into Jacob’s hands. “Here, the number of a contact in Winnipeg who can help you. Now stay safe, all of you.” He closed Jacob’s hand over the paper, put his hand on top of it and patted it. I saw Stanley sit up straighter and watch Paddy closely. Paddy whispered something in Jacob’s ear, and Jacob nodded. “Take care, all of you,” Paddy said as he backed away from the window and put his arm around Donna.

“Godspeed. And give that little one a kiss from me when he wakes up,” said Donna, tears in her eyes.

They wished us luck and then opened the garage door for us. With a wave, we pulled out of the driveway and into the early morning. Fog rolled around the street as we drove out of the city. Silence reigned in the van for a short while. Jacob seemed to be lost in thought. Then he sat up and half turned to us in the back.

“DeAndre and I thought we’d go south into Georgia, but now I don’t know,” he said.

“I’ve never heard Paddy talk about this safe house before. I wonder why he brought it up now,” Caitlyn said.

“We’ve never heard of any safe houses at the CDC. And we’ve been studying this problem for years. This may be a new place. Or it may have been kept quite a secret,” said Stanley. I looked over at him as he spoke.

“I think we’ll keep with our original decision for now,” Jacob said slowly. Zombies had spread to the entire nation, but the further southeast you went, the fewer there seemed to be. I was torn. South to Georgia seemed like a safe bet if we wanted to stay free of zombies, but north to Canada held the promise of a possible safe house where we might get some semblance of security in our lives. I wanted to support Jacob, but …

“I’m not sure south is better than north at this point, Jake,” I said. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror and seemed about to say something when Stanley piped up.

“I think north sounds like the best way to go. A safe house could add stability to these kids’ lives,” he said.

“I vote for north,” said Caitlyn. Risa had fallen asleep against her in the ten minutes we’d been driving so far.

Chuckling, Jacob said, “Well, what about you, D? What do you think we should do?”

“I’m torn. I’ll go with whatever you decide, Jake,” said DeAndre.

Jacob seemed to make a decision. “Although I know it may be more dangerous, I think I’m going to go north to Winnipeg. I like the sound of this ‘safe house’ of Paddy’s. And I trust him,” he finished.

Turning north, he was on the freeway in minutes, and we all settled in for a long drive. The road was utterly deserted, but I wasn’t surprised. Since the infection had spread everywhere, people kept to themselves. A lot of the nation had fallen to the zombie plague too. We’d be taking a chance every time we had to stop for gas and food. I sighed. The world had been turned mad five years ago and now we had to live in it and try to survive.

Chapter Three

I had hardly had any sleep, so I ended up nodding off pretty quickly. Soon, nearly everyone in the van was asleep. Jacob drove on, for three or four hours, and chatted with Stanley. I dozed on and off. Jake finally pulled off for gas somewhere in Kentucky, and the change in the van’s motion woke me. I blinked my eyes and looked around. Everyone was waking up and stretching, Luke and I included. I looked outside at the gas station Jake was pulling into.

“This doesn’t look so good,” Jacob said as he pulled up to a pump in the deserted parking lot.  “I’ll jump out and pump the gas, but everyone stay inside. We can stop at the Walmart down the road for a bathroom break. He honked the horn for a minute to see if anyone was about, but the place was as still as death.

“I don’t know about this, Jake,” I said slowly, looking around the place.

“I’ll go with him,” said DeAndre. I turned to look at Stanley. He just sat there, looking outside.

“Stanley, I just thought of something. Do you have a gun? Or some kind of weapon?” I asked.

“Uh, I have a .38, it’s in my bag,” Stanley said, gesturing to his feet.

“With the drive we’re making, it’s best to have it at the ready. But be careful with it,” I said.

Jacob and DeAndre were outside, Jake pumping gas and D, gun out, eyeing the perimeter. You never knew when they would pop out and run for you. There seemed to be nobody around, and this was both a good thing and a bad thing. I looked to the building at the far end. It had a big sign on top that advertised its repairs.

Jacob finished up and replaced the gas nozzle, and he and DeAndre got back into the van. Closing the door and reaching for his seatbelt, Jacob did not see the blur coming around the corner of the far building.

“Oh my God,” I said. Jacob looked up and just stared. It was a dog. He was moving very slowly, because he was injured. By the corner of the building where the dog was coming from, we saw a body lying there. The dog paused to lie against the
bloody
body. It acted as though that person had been its owner. Then the dog seemed to hear something, and got up again and started moving. It was still too far away for us to see much detail, but it was slowly making its way toward us. We all watched as the dog limped along. It looked like a mixed-breed mutt, grey and white, short hair, long tail. As the dog got closer to us, we could see it was injured. Blood dripped from its hindquarters, and it
’
s back left leg dragged. Its back and head were soaked in what looked like human blood and gore, from its owner.

“Oh man,” said Stanley, opening his door. “Poor dog!”

“Stanley, NO!” Jacob said, just as Stanley was stepping out of the van. We all watched as he closed the door after him and slowly approached the dog. He put his hand out and began to coax the animal toward him. He did not see the movement coming around the building from the place where the dog had emerged, but we did: three zombies loped rapidly toward Stanley. Two of them appeared to be dressed in mechanics’ overalls. They were probably following the scent of the meal that had just gotten away from them.

“Christ!” I let out involuntarily. Jacob honked his horn and Stanley turned to look at him. We all pointed behind the dog,
which
was nearly up to the van by now. Gesturing wildly toward the advancing threat, we all began to yell for him to LOOK! He turned back to see what we were pointing at and gave a yelp as he hurriedly grabbed the door handle and yanked it open.

“Get in!” Jacob said as he turned the key in the ignition. Stanley did not argue, but jumped up into the seat and pulled the door shut tightly. The zombies were about ten feet from us when Jacob peeled away and out of the gas station parking lot. We turned our heads in time to see the three zombies fall on the dog, which began yelping as it fell out of sight. I shuddered and turned my head forward again, eyes tightly closed. Luke began to cry.

“The poor dog!” he said. I just put my arm around him and tried to soothe him as Jacob drove.

“I think I’ll get back on the freeway and go down a ways more for that bathroom break,” Jacob said, racing away from the horrific sight we had all just witnessed. Stanley was still looking back.

“God… that could’ve been me,” he said.

Jacob drove for another half an hour before he pulled off again. The Walmart parking lot was not quite deserted, and we saw several people walking into and out of the store. Parking right near the door, we all got out of the van and, staying close together, we walked into the store.

Stanley was still shaken up at what had almost happened.

“Come on, Stanley. Shake it off. We gotta be ready for anything, at any time,” DeAndre said, patting Stanley on the back.

Risa, Caitlyn and I walked with Luke into the women’s bathroom and took turns watching the door until we were finished.  We met the Jacob, DeAndre and Stanley in the front lobby. There were very few people in sight in the store, which made us uneasy.

“Let’s just go,” I said, taking Luke’s hand. “This place is giving me the creeps.” R
isa joined me on my other side,
and we led the others out of the store and back to the van. As we all settled into our seats, we noticed Stanley was missing. Having just fastened his seatbelt, Jacob unfastened it and got out, heading back into the store to search for Stanley. It was weird because we had all just gone to the bathroom. I hadn’t noticed anyone going off into the store aisles. Hadn’t he been there when we came out of the women’s restroom? I wasn’t sure now.

After about five or ten minutes, Jacob returned with Stanley trailing him. Jake looked irritated, and halfway to the van he stopped and swung around to question Stanley. They seemed to argue for a few minutes before both proceeded on to the van. I wondered what Jacob was upset about. I wondered what Stanley had been doing in the store after we left. My questions about Stanley were mounting.

Jacob got in the driver’s seat and buckled himself in without saying a word. More slowly, Stanley got into the front right seat. He seemed to want to say something more to Jacob, but stopped
himself after giving us a glance. The silence coming from the front two seats was deafening. Without a word, Jacob started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, heading down the road and onto the freeway via the northbound onramp. The set to his shoulders indicated he was upset. Very upset. We rode on in complete silence for the next hour, no one willing to break it.

Chapter Four

We drove on for the better part of the day, stopping toward evening for a bathroom break and food. This time, it was at a roadside truck stop restaurant whose parking lot was filled with 18 wheelers and motorcycles. Places that were filled with people seemed like the safest stops. Zombies had a way of clearing a place out quicker than anything. And it was pretty evident this place was clear of zombies: we could see people through the front windows were eating and laughing. We parked and gathered everyone and entered the café. After we were seated and looking at the menus, DeAndre got up to check out the jukebox. Jacob, Caitlyn and Risa headed for the bathroom. I settled into the big booth with Luke by my side.

“What looks good to you, Sweetie?” I asked, looking over the restaurant’s offerings.

“Chicken strips and chocolate milk!” said Luke enthusiastically.

Stanley, seated on the far side of the booth,
laughed. “He’s a kid all right.
I have a 6-year-old who won’t eat anything but chicken strips and mac and cheese,” he said.

I smiled. “Luke loves mac and cheese,” I said, brushing Luke’s hair back and studying his face.

“I want chicken today!” he piped.

Laughing, I looked back at Stanley. “Do you miss your kids?” I asked.

His face sobered up a bit. “Yes. They live with their mother in Georgia. I haven’t seen Charlie and Frankie in a week.”

“Since you’re coming with us, when do you think you’ll see them next? Canada is pretty far from Georgia,” I said.

“I don’t know,” Stanley said quietly, looking down at his menu. He was silent for a minute, lost in thought, then: “I think I’ll have a hamburger,” he said, closing the menu. He looked back at us. “Luke?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Do you like baseball?” Stanley asked.

“Baseball?” Luke looked a little confused.

“Playing catch with Jake’s small ball and mitt,” I explained.

“Oh. It’s okay. I sometimes have a hard time when I catch the ball in my mitt; it falls out,” Luke said.

Stanley smiled. “Maybe we can all play a game of catch sometime. Do you have a bat?” he asked.

“We don’t have a baseball bat, no. But Luke likes playing with his cars and tracks,” I said. Looking down at Luke, I continued, “Don’t worry, we brought the set. It’s in the back.” He smiled in relief.

“Hey guys! I’ve ordered a plate of onion rings,” DeAndre said, sitting down with us. He had a beer in his hands. Jacob walked up a minute later, too.

“Babe, can you take Luke to the bathroom?” I asked Jacob.

“I can take him, I’ve got to go myself,” Stanley said. I hesitated a moment, then exhaled in relief when DeAndre spoke up.

“Let’s all go, I’ve got to go wash my hands,” DeAndre said, getting up. “That jukebox was sticky!” he smiled down at Luke. Stanley got up to go with them. Jacob settled in next to me.

“What happened in the Walmart parking lot?” I asked Jacob quietly.

“Nothing really, I think. Stanley had been making phone call. He said it was to talk to his sons, but I don’t know…,” Jacob said.

Looking after Stanley, Luke and DeAndre disappearing into the bathroom, I sighed.

“I don’t know what to make of Stanley. I think he’s hiding something, but that doesn’t necessarily make him bad,” I said.

“I know. I’m not sure of him either. Remember though, we don’t even know him really. I want to give him a chance,” said Jacob.

“Give who a chance?” Risa said, coming up to the table and sliding into her seat. Caitlyn sat down next to her.

“Stanley. We’re a little suspicious of him, but we want to give him a chance,” I said.

“Oh. Him. I don’t know,” said Risa. “I need to get to know him before I pass judgment on him.”

I smiled. “Me too, Sweetie.”

“Oh, they have chicken strips!” Risa said happily. I laughed.

“That’s what Luke’s having too,” I said.

“I knew I liked that boy,” Risa said. I laughed harder.

After everyone ordered and our food arrived, we ate and talked.

“How long is to Canada, anyway?” Caitlyn asked.

“It takes about 24 hours driving solid, not counting breaks,” said Jacob.

“We can share driving and get there by tomorrow,” I said. Jacob smiled at me.

“Can I drive?” asked Luke.

“Sure, pal. I figured you could drive the next leg of our journey,” said Jacob, not missing a beat. Everyone laughed, and DeAndre ruffled Luke’s hair. I was watching Stanley and he smiled broadly, but looked a little sad. I guessed he missed his sons.

As we were finishing up our meal, Stanley excused himself to go to the bathroom
again
. After a minute, Jacob followed him. Coming back first, Jacob sat back down, looking troubled.

“Everything okay, Babe?” I asked, rubbing his back.

“Ask me later,” he said, giving me a tight smile. He took a bite of his food, not saying more. I wondered what was bothering him, but I knew to ask him later, as he had asked. I continued to eat.

“Finish up your French fries, Luke,” I said. He grabbed another one and began to nibble on it. Luke was a slow, thoughtful eater. He was often the last one done at family dinners.

I signaled to the waitress for a take-home container and the bill. I was itching to ask Jake what he was bothered by. Just then, Stanley returned to the table. We all finished up and paid, and were soon walking out of the restaurant. Carrying Luke’s bag of leftovers, I tucked him into his seat and then turned to Jacob, lifting my eyebrow. He just shook his head curtly and got into the driver’s seat. We were soon on the road again.

After about 3 hours, Jacob pulled over for gas and a bathroom break again. This time it was a truck stop with at least a half dozen cars and trucks pulled up to pumps and people in the store milling about. I took Luke to the bathroom and then stood in front of the energy drinks, trying to decide which one to select.

“Have you tried this one?” asked Stanley, coming up to me and indicating a blue can I was contemplating.

“Oh, yes! I love that one. But then, I love coconut. I was trying to decide between that one and the coffee one,” I said.

“The coconut one, definitely. It’s lighter and it’s fizzy,” he said, smiling.

I turned to him, “which one are you going to get?” I asked.

“Me? Oh, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll just get a soda,” he said.

“I think I WILL go for the coconut one,” I said. “I want to be alert driving through my leg of the trip.” I grabbed two of the drinks and headed to the cashier. Stanley joined me a second later with one of the same drinks.

“I think you’ve got great taste,” he said smiling. He turned to Luke, who just then walked up with Caitlyn and Risa. Luke had a chocolate milk in his hands. “Hey little dude, you sure do like that chocolate milk!” Stanley said. Luke grinned from ear to ear.

“If he had his way, that’s all he’d ever drink,” smiled Caitlyn. I paid for our purchases and turned to Stanley.

“We’ll meet you in the van,” I said, smiling. He nodded and turned to pay for his drink. Caitlyn, Risa and Luke followed me out into the sunshine.

Walking to the van, I popped the top on one of my drinks with a sigh and took a deep swig. Jacob walked up and put his arm around me and Luke joined him and put his arms around us both. I kissed Jacob on the lips and then dropped my face to Luke and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. Jacob smiled at me and hugged me again.

“Hey, Luke!” called Stanley, walking up to us. “Here you go Buddy, I bought this for you.” He held out a little toy car. Luke smiled broadly.

“Thanks!” he said, taking the little car. He made car engine noises and drove the car up and down imaginary hills in the air as he walked. I smiled at Stanley.

“Thank you, Stanley. That was very nice of you,” I said. Stanley smiled and blushed. We all got into the car and settled in for a long drive. I buckled Luke into his seat and then got into the driver’s seat in front of him. Jacob had Stanley sit in the back next to DeAndre so he could ride next to me. I smiled at him as he took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too, Jacob,” I said.

Smiling, I put the key in and started the engine. Glancing in the rearview mirror, my eyes caught Stanley looking up at us two and smiling wistfully.

I drove on north into the evening, and it was well after dark when we stopped again. Police lights were flashing in the middle of the freeway, with roadside flares blocking all but one lane. I slowed the van down to a crawl to pass and all of us looked out at the disaster that had brought all the commotion.

“Oh my God,” I heard Risa say. We were all shocked at the sight. Three police cars and an ambulance had converged on the site of a crash. It looked like only one vehicle was involved, but the police were all trying to subdue the zombie that was stuck halfway in the crumpled vehicle. As we watched one of the police officers drew his weapon and shot the zombie in the head. It crumpled and fell against the pavement, its legs still trapped under the dashboard and steering wheel. It looked like a middle-aged woman, probably turned while driving and couldn’t stop. I shuddered and crept along as fast as the traffic would allow. The sight still had the power to shock me, even after all these years. A lot of people slowed to look, but I just wanted to get my family out of there.

Rubberneckers stopping for a zombie crash. Huh.

Rubberneckers. They used to slow down to watch someone change a tire, but in this day and age it was a zombie crash that drew their attention. Suddenly I had the urge to giggle. I successfully suppressed it as the van crawled along in traffic for another ten minutes. Then we were free and I brought the car up to the speed limit. This was Iowa and so I cruised along at 70 mph into the night. The sky was filled with stars and the freeway was pretty deserted now, and we made good time.

Since almost the beginning, the military had imposed a military quarantine of the West Coast: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and parts of Idaho. This had been somewhat effective, but it had thrown the country into chaos. There were still outbreaks all over the central, north and southern regions of the country. The military’s hold on the west had been precarious at best, with politicians demanding that their regions and constituents be allowed safe passage.

So the military relaxed the borders somewhat, allowing people through after examinations. But infected individuals still got through. The plague was not very predictable. Some people were infected and turned in a few hours, others took days. At first no one was very aware of this, and infected individuals slipped past armed borders into the populated sections of the country. Also, the rural nature of the Midwest aided the spread of the virus by infecting and actually overcoming whole towns pretty quickly without notice. Canada and Mexico had completely sealed their borders. No one blamed them, of course, but it did not stop the plague from entering those countries. It was very slow, slower than the creeping infections moving east and south across the United States, but it was there.

Now, five years later, the entire West Coast was becoming a virtual no-mans-land, all but deserted of living humans and overrun by zombies. One major political party had insisted on imposing martial law in these areas, and most of the country agreed.

It was getting ridiculously dangerous to move about in the open in some areas. And we still didn’t know what happened to the zombies when they ran out of human food, although mass graves that had been unearthed in Europe seemed to indicate that they could survive for a while, at least.

Traveling north and
west
the way we were, we were very likely to encounter more and more zombies as we approached the Canadian border. Hopefully we’d be able to cross, and then the outbreaks would likely drop to near zero. They might quarantine us, or we’d find a way to smuggle ourselves across the border at night or something. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but something had to. We were a pretty determined lot.