Dead and Dead Again: Kansas City Quarantine (53 page)

“Hey, it could be a goose egg,
too,” Tripper offered realistically.

“It’s not,” Calvin said, having
already noticed something the others had not. “In fact, I think it’s going to be
a goldmine.”

After an awkward pause, Tripper
added, “I still think you’re an asshole if it makes you feel any better.”

Calvin jogged forward to the door
and waved into the dealership at something only he could see through the large
window. A blonde clown-lady in a low-cut crimson dress and five inch heels
stood from behind a desk and teetered to the door, fumbling with the lock. Days
before she must have been beautiful, but now her face was streaked with dried
mascara and eye shadow that had washed down and spread all over her face and
dried along with the thousand tears that had moved it all, matted blonde hair hung
in a tangled mess over a dress stained with smeared chocolate and unrecognizable
crumbs.

“Thank God someone else is alive!”
she shouted in Calvin’s ear, hugging him despite how the armor must have felt
on her scarcely protected body. “You have to get me out of here,” she pleaded.
“I’ll do anything.
Anything
,” she insisted, looking deeply into his eyes
under his visor, clear blue eyes and promising just that. “Please?” she grabbed
his arm in such a firm grip it took
both
of Athena’s to pry it free.

“He’s taken, sweetie,” Athena grumbled.
“Why not tell us who you are, first?”

The woman jumped back from this
armored woman who now pulled a blade from over her shoulder. “I—wha—I’m…my name
is Morena Glau. Everyone calls me Mo.

Calvin introduced everyone, knowing
full well that she wouldn’t remember the names, and then he bluntly asked, “What
are you doing here?”

“I’m the sales manager. My uncle
owns this lot. I picked up a guy at the parade and thought I’d bring him here
and have some fun. We spent a few hours in the back of that BMW and when we got
out there were people walking through the parking lot. I thought they might
want to buy something, so I went out to work them over. He tagged along to
watch. I’m…I’m not sure what happened or how, but the couple attacked us and
they…they ate him. I don’t know how else to explain it. They started ripping
big chunks of flesh from his arms and neck and he screamed and fell down and
they turned to me and I ran inside. They weren’t able to come inside, but I
watched, and Bobby, he…he got back up, and he was like them. I know it sounds
ridiculous...but I think they were zombies. You must think I’m crazy…” she
trailed off.

“Lady, look at us,” Tripper laughed.
“Do we look like the kind of people who
wouldn’t
believe that story?” he
pointed to their armor and weapons and the blood dripping from all but Scaggs’ and
her air gun.

“Can you tell me what is going on?”
she asked.

“Nobody can tell you that,” Tripper
snapped, but Calvin put a hand on his shoulder to tell him to lay off.

“We don’t really have that kind of
time, Mo,” Calvin explained. “But I’ll try to give you a short version of what
we know. A virus interacted with something here and is turning people into…well,
into zombies. We’re all trapped inside because the government has built a wall
all around the city a hundred miles out.”

“Bullshit. It’s only been a few
days. The government ain’t that coordinated,” she insisted confidently.

“Apparently they are when they
really care about something,” Tripper argued.

Calvin put a hand firmly on his
shoulder and he calmed again.

“They’re dumping in supplies, but
otherwise we’re on our own until the Quarantine is lifted,” Calvin explained

“How did you manage to stay alive
for these past days alone?” Athena asked.

“I’ve been living out of that snack
machine over there. Oh my god, it’s been
so
long since I’ve had any junk
food. I’m going to have to do spin class twice a day for a month to make this
back. I’ve put on at least ten pounds. The water and bathroom still seem to be
working, but I think I need some real food soon.” She finally noticed her
appearance in a mirror along the far wall and tried to smooth out her dress and
straighten her hair. Nothing but a full scrub was going to fix her face, though,
and she grimaced in shame that lasted only until she realized she needed to get
away. “Please, you have to take me with you,” she pleaded again.

“You don’t happen to have access to
the keys of these cars do you?” Calvin asked.

“I’m not going out there alone!”
she insisted.

“You don’t have to, yet,” Tripper
told her.

“Mo, can you tell me what’s keeping
the dead out of your lot and the one over there?” Calvin asked, changing the
subject to ease her mind for a minute. “It seems like almost all of them are
staying out on the streets for some reason.”

“Yes, there are iron-and-concrete fences
standing at between knee and waist level all around three sides of the lot.
They keep people from driving off with the vehicles without our permission.”

“Can’t they just drive through that
thin fence in the back?” Tripper asked. That’s how he was already planning on
getting his car out, if he could get one.

“Anyone driving through that fence
is in for a real surprise, Honey.”

“How’s that?” Tripper began rethinking
his route.

“It may look like some generic
material fence, but that thing is Antonopoulos Fencing. It is layered, linked
Carbon-Fiber and Cobalt filaments. It’s light as chicken wire and strong as ten
inches of concrete and steel.”

Someone whistled.

“Did she say Antonopoulos?” Scaggs
asked.

Athena nodded to her.

“As in
our
Antonopoulos?”
she mouthed silently, pointing to the Hedgehog.

Athena nodded again.

Scaggs whistled again.

“So how did the dead that are here
get in?” Calvin asked.

“Oh, some can jump it. But for most
of them, the fence is so low that sometimes they just fall over it when they
get to jostling,” she said with a laugh. “It would be hilarious if I weren’t
stuck in here watching the lot slowly fill up. I want to thank you all for
cleaning those others up for me. If you can take me with you, I’d really
appreciate it. Just throwing that out to see where we stand on the issue…”

“Mo, about the keys…” Calvin proposed
hesitantly. He held up a hand to forestall another passionate plea for rescue. “If
we take you out of here—” he started.

“—I said I’ll do anything you
want,” she repeated.

“Can you get us the keys to some of
these vehicles?”

Her eyes lit up. “Can I get you the
keys?” she laughed a raucous cackle. “Can I get you the damned keys, he asks. Calvin
Hobbes, I would kiss you if I weren’t sure your girlfriend would brain me with
that panabas.”

“How do you know what’s it’s
called?” Athena asked with a confused squint.

“Oh, I dated a guy from the Philippines. He was big into those freaky weapons.”

“You’re still not kissing Calvin,”
Athena assured her.

“Right. But I can still give him
what he wants,” she sent Athena a mischievous smile. “I can give you any damn
vehicles you want to take off this lot…I mean, not to keep, but to use until
things are right again, and only if you take me out of here.”

“Mo, that sounds like a deal,”
Calvin said with a big grin. “Did I see you have a Ford Excursion with a big
ole ram plate up front?”

“Ram plate?”

“I think you have to get into the
spirit of what we’re going to be doing,” Tripper explained, slapping one fist
into a palm, fittingly it was metal on metal.

“Honey, I have no idea what you
plan on doing,” Mo explained right back.

“Oh, good point. We’re going to
take the biggest vehicles you have and run the dead out of town…at least these
dead,” he pointed out the window as another zombie fell over the fence and
rolled around until it lay up against a car, then used the door handle to pull
itself upright again like some drunk on a Saturday night preparing to dive home
when he should really call a cab. “We’ll ram any that don’t comply.”

“And then what are you going to
do?” she asked.

“We’re going to come back here and
help a friend who’s stuck out there.”

“Out there?” she pointed.

Calvin nodded.

“Your friend is dead,” she assured
them confidently.

“I haven’t seen a soul alive out on
those streets for days. I saw what happened to anyone who got out of their car.
And then when those army people showed up, I thought I had been saved. I was
just about to run out and thank them for the rescue when that stupid bitch took
them right into the middle. I never saw them again.”

“Our friend was with them. He was
alive an hour ago,” Calvin elucidated.

“Oh. I haven’t seen any activity
all morning, so he might still be there.”

“So, do we have a deal?”

“I wish you were just getting into
a car and leaving,” she replied dryly. “But I guess I don’t have any choice.
I’ll give you your vehicles and maybe you can talk me into driving one if you
promise to take me with you.”

“I promise we are taking you with
us when we go.”

“As long as you’re alive when we’re
done,” Tripper said flatly.

“And if
we’re
alive when
we’re done,” Boomer clarified with a beaming smile.

Mo laughed even harder than the
first time and patted Boomer on his armored shoulder and simultaneously sized
him up, then did it again and cleared her throat and straightened her hair
again, now immeasurably regretting not having cleaned up better. But at the
time, she had been positive she was the last person on Earth. Boomer couldn’t contain
an interested gaze either, his dark eyes moving slowly down her slinky form
while he did that lip biting thing that all black guys seem to have naturally
inherent in their genes. Even with the smeared makeup, she was beautiful, so he
gave her his best, bare-toothed grin and winked. Straightening her hair again,
she turned and pointed out the window. “Ahem. Ladies and Gentlemen, what can I
get you into today?” she asked with a flourish at the parking lot, sparing a
meaningful glance for Boomer.

The five would-be rescuers pressed
their faces to the glass to see as much of the lot as they could. The expensive
vehicles were all lined up within view of Burlington and the little road that
ran in between the two dealerships. The used lot had it all, from Acura to
Volkswagon, trucks, SUVs and just about anything sport and leisure.

“I think I’ll stick with the
Excursion,” Calvin said. “I really like the look of that massive grill.”

She pulled a yellow #2 and a small
pad from a bright blue desk and started scribbling. When she had finished
writing, the pencil point hung mere centimeters above the paper and her eyes
moved to Calvin’s left, questioning, expectant.

“Lexus GX 460 for me,” Athena nearly
purred while eying the burgundy SUV with unchecked hunger. “Might as well do it
with some class,” she explained.

“Good point,” Boomer agreed. “I’ll
take that big GMC Sierra 2500,” he crowed. “It’s big, black and beautiful, like
me.”

“I’ll take the Jeep Wrangler,”
Scaggs pointed at a white ‘04 Wrangler with about a ten-inch lift kit on it.
“It’s a geek thing.”

“GMC Yukon Denali, Black baby,” Gus
said smoothly. A half dozen curious stares demanded a deeper explanation. “What?
I’ve never driven a GMC before.”

“I’ll help with the Dodge Ram 2500,”
Morena added bravely.

“Thanks, Mo, but you might have
noticed that all of us are wearing armor,” Calvin gestured at his friends.

“Yes, I did notice that.”

“Well, it keeps us pretty protected
from those very mobile dead things out there. We’ll put you in one of our
vehicles and you can watch safely from there.”

“Ok. I just want to help you so
you’ll make sure to take me with you.”

“Believe me, you’re helping us more
than we can say as it is,” Boomer assured her. “You’re making dreams come
true,” he added with another sparkling smile and the lip-biting thing. “I mean
with the vehicles, of course,” he added innocently.

“Ooh, I like you,” She grinned and
nodded, wishing she could see the body beneath that steel. But she turned to
Trip. “What truck would you like, um, Tripper is it?”

“No truck for me. I’m with Gus.
Might as well try something I’ve always wanted to try. I want that Metallic
Blue BMW M5 Sedan sitting right up front here,” he pointed.

“A sports car?” Morena asked.

“No,” Tripper stated firmly with a
slow shake of his head. “It’s…a…sedan,” he clearly enunciated each word. “I’m
with Athena
and
Gus, I guess. I want style
and
I’ve always wanted
to drive a Beemer.”

“If we’re all about making dreams
come true, then I’ll take that crimson Tesla,” Calvin amended his earlier
choice.

“I can’t believe you didn’t say
that first,” Tripper slapped him on the shoulder.

“I was thinking they might get
banged up a bit so we might need bigger cars, but now I’m thinking you only
live once.”

“Twice, apparently, if you live in Kansas City,” Tripper corrected.

“The second one isn’t what I’d call
living,” Calvin ended everyone’s laughter.

Morena hopped off to the manager’s
office and soon returned with a black tray that held several sets of keys with
blue tags. She read the tags each the set for their desired vehicle. “Now, except
for the Tesla, each car only has a few gallons of gas, so whatever you plan on
doing, you have to do fast or we all need to go fuel up.”

“First things first…you said the
fences are impossible to drive through, so how do we get out of this lot?”
Calvin asked.

“Oh, the gate on the south side
opens to a button here or a remote. I have one on me,” she showed them the little
black box hanging on the side of the shiny black belt around her waist.