El Paso Under Attack - 01 (30 page)

I assumed that it was frequency. That must be it. He did it so often and so many times, that it became easy. If I had done this as much as him, I wouldn’t be freaking out so much now.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I kept telling this to myself as we got closer and closer to the small mountains. Hell, I didn’t even have a gun; I wouldn’t even be one of the men who were shooting.

My visions of greatness began to fade. I clung to the last one I had. It consisted of me raising up a hammer and crashing it down on the head of the very last zombie. This zombie had been wounded from bullets and could only crawl towards me. It was an easy kill, but after I brought about its destruction I would turn back to my fellow survivors with my arms raised in triumph. To a man, they would applaud.

When we finally passed the small mountain, we could no longer see the zombies that had been following us. We had plenty of time and that was a good thing. Arranging the cars and the shooters was a hell of a time.

Calvin enjoyed being in power as much as I did. We gave out orders and reluctantly the people followed them. They weren’t happy to be leaving their cars and trucks. We had to explain to them that they might not let us pass the border with zombies on our tail. It was a lie; it was a flat out lie. The zombies were so far behind us; whoever was at the gate probably wouldn’t even see them until we had long since reached safety.

I think the people knew we were full of shit. They tried to argue, but Calvin and I just ignored them and continued to give out orders. It took over a half an hour to get all the people behind our SUV.

The shooters weren’t even lined up when the zombies rounded the small mountain. Their numbers had multiplied. Thinking back now, I guess there were about fifty zombies. All of them were running at us as fast as their undead legs could carry them.

For a moment, we did nothing but panic.

“
What do you think happened?
”

One of two things happened, or…maybe both. We made a lot of noise getting everyone to pull over and get into position. Some of the people were even honking their horns and yelling out the window. They didn’t want to fight. We made them. Also, a group of zombies in pursuit will attract other zombies. They were screaming and yelling as they chased after us. That’s like a dinner bell.

Then again, maybe there’s another reason. Maybe the extra zombies were just responding to all the noise we had made earlier when I ordered everyone with guns to start shooting at whatever gave us chase.

Regardless, it was bad. It was as bad as it could get. I shouted for anyone who had a weapon to start firing. To their credit, the survivors started shooting. They started shooting into that great mass of fifty zombies and I’m not sure that they even dropped five of them.

As the zombies got closer, the people panicked. I panicked. Calvin ran off towards the border. He abandoned everyone. I tried to help people; I tried to get them to run…some of them listened. Some of them tried to get back into their cars. The cars were packed to tightly. They couldn’t squeeze out. The sand on the side of the road gave them no traction to push their way out. The zombies literally fell upon them and ripped them from their vehicles. I can still hear their screams in my head every night as I try to sleep. I can still see that fountain of blood spray from their necks as the zombies bit into them and I can still hear the way the sound of their scream changes when the vocal cords are chewed through.

Eventually, I ran. I tried to stay as long as I could. I tried to get more of them to run, but they wouldn’t listen to me. There was just too much chaos, too much blood on the road, too many screams. It made things easy for the zombies.

As I was running, the zombies were chasing and they were gaining. They don’t seem to get tired and fall prey to exhaustion like the living do. They charged head long into the fleeing survivors and tackled them to the street. So many people fell around me, it was nightmarish.

There was more blood. There was more screaming. I began to scream as well. I gave up encouraging them to run. Panic filled my very veins. All I could think about was surviving. All I could think about was how much it would hurt if they began to chew into my stomach and devour me while I was still alive. It scared the hell out of me.

I began to scream for help as well.

I saw women and children brought down all around me. I saw them torn apart. I didn’t try to help them. I just kept running.

Somehow, I escaped. I don’t know why. It should have been me out there that died that day. It should have been me instead of them.

I was in charge of two hundred and ten men, women and children. Only eight of us survived. Two hundred and two people died because I tried to grab some piece of glory for my fragile ego.

When I finally passed the gates, the weight of my mistakes rained down upon me. I crumbled to the ground under the realization of what I had caused. The soldiers had to carry me to the decontamination unit. They probably thought I was exhausted, that wasn’t it. It was the shame. The zombies couldn’t catch me, but the shame brought me to my knees.

One thing and one thing only began to replay over and over through my mind as I laid there in the decontamination unit awaiting my release. Jaxon had warned me not to stop. He told me to keep moving forward no matter what. I didn’t listen to him. I should have listened to him. I made a horrible mistake.

I’ve been in counseling since that day. The government pays for it. They pay for all the survivors of El Paso who need counseling. It took me a long time to be able to admit to myself that it was my fault, but I can do it now. It’s my fault. I accept all the blame. I won’t speak for Calvin; he’s an asshole just like the General thought he was.

I used to resent Jaxon for getting all the glory. I used to resent him for being the hero. Well, let me tell you…the man is a hero. He may have a gigantic ego, but he saves lives. He puts himself in harm’s way to protect others.

I don’t envy him anymore. The things he faces…and I’ve heard that he’s faced far worse since that day…but those things…are the stuff of nightmares.

However, I wish…I wish I could join him. I wish I had the courage to speak to him. Because if anyone needs to be there by his side, it should be me, I have a lot to make up for. I have a lot to apologize for.

Tears begin to slowly slide down his cheeks and Tito turns his head away as if to hide them. His shame is so painful to watch, I begin to cry as well. I feel bad for him. I really truly feel bad for him. The man has the gall to stand up and flat out tell me and therefore the entire world that he accepts full responsibility for his actions. It’s impressive and it’s also probably a bit too late. However, I wish him peace. He’s suffered enough.

On a side note, I tried to once again speak with Calvin in a follow up interview, but after hearing that Tito had broken his silence and spoken to me, he has since cancelled all his public engagements and interviews.

To this day, he will no longer speak to the press.

Chapter 8

Skie

Skie is by all accounts, tiny. She’s maybe a couple of inches over five feet tall and that’s if she’s lucky. She’s wearing a light green dress that she proudly announces is of her own design when I compliment it. She’s smiles often, and when she does, I’ve noticed that it tends to make others smile as well.

What I didn’t know from watching the short video’s that I’ve seen of Skie is that she loves to talk. From the minute I entered the house in which her and Jaxon are staying, she hasn’t stopped. Obviously, she has a talent for spreading cheerful happiness with more than her smile, because she has me laughing within three minutes of having met her.

Finally, I manage to get her to sit down and due the interview.

So, you want me to tell you about my husband.

“
I’d like that. I can’t think of a better way to get to know the man behind the legend than speaking to his wife.
”

Well, what would you like to know?

“
Tell me what he’s like. Tell me what kind of man he is.
”

Jaxon is different than any man I think you’ll ever meet. I’m sure you’ve heard that he’s arrogant right?

“
I have heard that yes.
”

Well it’s true. He’s pretty arrogant, but what people may not have told you is that he’s never arrogant in a way that puts others down. He just lacks pretty much all self doubt. Maybe, it’s one of the reasons that he can go out and do the things that he does. He never imagines that he’ll fail. He might believe that there’ll be some setbacks, but in the end he truly believes he’ll win.

That however, is nothing new to anyone. What I’d like people to know about my husband is that he’s one of the sweetest people that I’ve ever met. He truly does care about the well being of others. When I first met him, this protection mainly centered around his friends. That’s probably why they are such a close group of people; they’re attracted to his morals, his loyalty to them and his often childish attitude (which is more often than not very entertaining). During what happened in El Paso, his care and concern spread to others. It’s probably much simpler to him; he can help people, so that’s what he does.

He can be rude. That’s something he probably doesn’t even think about. He often says whatever’s floating around in his head, but he normally doesn’t mean to offend anyone. When strangers meet him, they’ll probably note that he’s quiet and somewhat guarded until he gets to know them. That’s normal for him. He just doesn’t always do well with strangers. It unfortunately also adds to his reputation of being occasionally rude, but give him time and you’ll probably like him just as much as the rest of us.

When he’s on the job, he’s very different from when he’s at home. At home, he’s all about having a good time. He’ll laugh and joke from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed. He likes to read, he loves movies and he’s always playing the Xbox. When he’s on the job, he’s a leader. People die if they don’t listen to him. He doesn’t tolerate anyone interfering. He’ll be rude, he’ll be dismissive and if things still don’t settle down, he’s likely to smack someone over the head.

“
Has that happened before?
”

I’ve seen him and heard about him smacking more than a few people who were standing in his way when he was trying to save people. I’ve even seen him take on what looked to be an entire police force once when they wouldn’t listen to him. That’s why the president gave him his badge.

“
So that’s true? Can you tell me about it?
”

Of course I can, it’s no secret. The badge basically grants him the power to override and/or take control over any police force or military body when a threat to the public is possibly underway. He uses it often; it allows him to cut through any red tape and start saving lives immediately. The police and military leaders don’t normally like it very much, but the men under them seem rather relieved whenever Jaxon shows up and takes over.

“
I can see why, he does have a reputation of saving lives.
”

Yeah, he’s good at it.

“
How do you feel about what he does?
”

I understand that it’s necessary. I understand that people need him. I however hate it. I’ve grown used to it. I’ve grown used to sitting up all night and waiting for him to come home. I know that when he gets called in, it’s because something evil and monstrous is killing people, but if I could, I’d take him very far away from all of that. He’s my husband. I love him with all my heart and I truly wish that it were someone else that was chosen to be the guardian and not him.

“
Chosen to be the guardian?
”

Yes, Miriam believes that he’s a sort of chosen guardian against the bad things that harm people. There’s a lot worse than zombies out there. Jaxon has beaten everything down, but it’s really scary sometimes.

“
Who is Miriam?
”

Miriam is someone that works for the government in a kind of advisory capacity. She’s an expert on the things that Jaxon fights. Don’t bother trying to get an interview though, she’ll never do it.

“
How did you meet her?
”

She showed up at my house in the middle of the night the evening before the outbreak with about twenty soldiers. They were banging on the door until I woke up. She was looking for Jaxon, but he wasn’t there. She started asking me about a million questions about him and then all of a sudden one of the soldiers got a call on his earpiece and ordered everyone to fall back and retreat. Miriam took my two kids and me with them. At the time, she wasn’t sure that Jaxon was going to be the Guardian, but just in case it did turn out to be him, she wanted him to be able to concentrate on his job without worrying about us.

“
That must have scared the hell out of you?
”

Of course it did. I was woken up in the middle of the night by some elderly lady and a bunch of soldiers and then taken from my home.

“
Where did they take you?
”

A Motel 6 in New Mexico, Major Crass (the guy in charge) had commandeered the entire motel and the military was using it as their command center. I was placed in a room with my kids and I had to wait for about three hours before Miriam came and knocked at the door. I let her in, and she told me that zombies and other monsters were real and all the signs and visions she was getting led her to believe that my husband was going to become some sort of hero. Miriam’s a witch by the way, gypsy ancestry and everything. She’s also around three hundred years old. I’ll explain more about her later when she actually meets Jaxon.

Anyway, it not very easy to believe that your husband is supposed to become some sort of hero. By all accounts, Jax does show leadership qualities, but he normally uses them to be a pain in the ass. Jax likes to have fun, he’s creative, but he’s often irritating and always mischievous. People for whatever reason put up with him and he can also often talk them into participating in his pranks. I love him, but I’m not exactly sure how any of those qualities translate into him being a hero.

For the longest time I thought everyone around me was insane. The next morning, it happened. One minute nothing and the next…the outbreak was in full swing. The dead were everywhere and it was spreading like wildfire. It was really scary.

Major Crass shut down all forms of communication very quickly. He wanted to track the Generals movements and make sure no one was planning any sort of escape from the city that could spread the outbreak. It was Crass that set up EPUA, but for the longest time there was no Jaxon. This really infuriated Crass. He gave only one form of communication and Jaxon wasn’t using it. Another thing about Crass, he didn’t believe in Jaxon either. He was put in charge of the situation and told to contain and cooperate with Miriam. If he had his way, he’d have simply nuked El Paso. Miriam was the one that stopped him. She gave the much needed time for a hero to make his presence known. Crass would never have sent any of his men into El Paso, if no hero had ever stepped forward, he would have eventually destroyed the city.

Days went by and still no sign from Jaxon (I was allowed to email him once early on, but he never responded to it). I began to fear the worst and hope for the best. I was hoping that he was either safe somewhere and if that wasn’t possible, I was hoping that he was running late and never even made it back into El Paso.

It was hard to have any hope at all with all of those poor people dying.

There was a large screen in a conference room of the motel. This screen was connected to the EPUA website 24 hours a day. I watched it as much as I could. Everyone watched it as much as they could.

One morning, Miriam came to my door. She told me to go look at the screen. Everyone was talking about the General. They were telling all these stories. At that point, my heart sank. Jaxon never had anything to do with the military. It couldn’t be him calling himself the General.

Miriam laughed at me in a motherly sort of way and assured me that it was my husband.

I watched EPUA for hours and hours. Finally, after the sun had set, Tito began to ask for help. Somehow, he also believed that Jaxon was the General. He wrote a little bit more, I think he was talking about why he knew the General had to be Jaxon. I don’t really remember, all I remember was that the General answered him. He told him something about sitting tight and being safe. He told Tito that he was coming.

At that point, I believed. It was such a Jaxon thing to do. He would risk everything for one of his friends. Don’t ask him to help you move, but if you had a major problem, he’d be there.

The site crashed with all the responses. So many people were calling out to him. So many people needed his help. Crass threw a fit. He blamed the crash on Jaxon. He started yelling at Miriam that this Guardian business was a waste of time and he’d be happier when the man was dead. I started yelling at him at that point. Miriam calmly stepped between us and told him to follow his orders.

“
Why was major Crass so against Jaxon?
”

He hates Guardians. He doesn’t believe that there are things out there in this world that can’t be handled by soldiers. Supposedly, there used to be another man named Mr. Hardin that was in charge of these things, but that man had retired a few years ago. They were currently looking for this man, so he could take over and fix all the damage caused by Crass.

Anyway, Crass was pretty pissed off about Mr. Hardin’s eventual return. He wanted to start exterminating the entire city. He thought it was an incredible danger to simply keep things contained.

The next morning, Jax struck again. He was on the move. He was fighting back. Others were joining him. Crass started laughing. He thought it was all just an ugly coincidence.

Miriam just quietly laughed at him. She whispered to me that if she knew her Guardians at all, Crass was in for a big surprise.

That’s how things went for the longest time. I followed his movement’s everyday and every evening until I could no longer keep my eyes open. At any given moment, there were always people talking about him.

“
What was it like for you to be reading about your husband, to be sitting there and reading about him becoming a hero to all those people?
”

It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I was proud of him, yet I was so worried about him. I would scream and cheer whenever he won something or accomplished something. At first every soldier in the room with me would just stare at me like I was some sort of crazy woman, but eventually, I think they began to believe in him as well. They would hug me or pat me on the back when he was in danger. They also began to cheer right along with me when he was safe.

Eventually, the day came when Jax announced to the world that he was leaving El Paso. He asked everyone to meet him at two entry ways into New Mexico.

Major Crass stared at the screen like he couldn’t believe what he had just read. He stared and stared and kept on staring when that same message started repeating itself over and over from different people in the safe zone.

He then flew into a rage.

He started screaming and yelling he was demanding that the website be shut down. He started yelling for the soldiers to shoot anybody trying to cross the fences. He started screaming at Miriam that her stupid beliefs were about to kill the entire country. He huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed.

And then the phone rang.

Crass shut up immediately. He answered it in a quiet voice. I’m not sure who it was, but Crass started speaking with a whole lot of respect. The conversation was quick and after he said his respectful goodbye, he cancelled all his angry orders and left the room.

I laughed my butt off.

“
Why?
”

Because that course of action was so typical of Jax. Give him enough time and the man’s a genius.

“
I’ve heard something like that before about him.
”

Yeah, that’s because it’s true. His mind never shuts off. He’s always coming up with new ways to attack whatever problem he’s facing and normally whatever solution he comes up with, is most certainly going to seriously piss off whoever is causing him problems.

He did it once again.

I was so proud of my baby. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but something told me that he’d just taken a big bite out of major Crass’s ass.

A few hours later, I learned that they were ordering decontamination units. The military was going to let them out. The world was going to learn that the General was not some made up myth, he was a real man and I was for damn sure going to be right there at the fence waiting for him.

Miriam agreed to take me to the fence. She was going there as well, unfortunately so was Crass.

As the sun peeked out over the mountain, we arrived at the fence. The soldiers were already in place. The helicopters were grounded for some reason. Others were arriving. The Generals legions of fans were coming to see if their hero was indeed real. The military didn’t even try to keep them away from the fences. Miriam said that someone higher up gave Crass orders to simply keep the people safe, but to otherwise not interfere.