End of the Line (12 page)

At seven, we were ready for goodbyes and to get on the road. Dave said his goodbyes and climbed into the cab. Five minutes later while we were still finishing, he started honking until Rachel told him to knock it off unless he wanted to bring every zombie in the vicinity. 
             
Harlan stood at the gate, with his rifle out, ready to open it and let us free. When I asked him about his family, he told me they were all dead.

             
I hugged everyone, leaving Rachel for last.

             
“Hi,” I said, and hugged her.

             
“Hi,” she said.

             
“Can you do me a favor?”

             
She looked around. The others were saying goodbye and getting into the truck “You want more blood?”

             
“Can you smile?”

             
She did try, a small smile spread across her pinkish lips.

             
“Good enough,” I said and climbed into the truck. I was the last one in. Ashley was lying on the air mattress. Aisha and Annemarie sat against the walls. Tanya stood by the window looking out.

             
Robert looked at us, smiled and waved. He was the only one who refused to give us information even though he wore a wedding band.

             
He pulled the door down sealing us in.
We only had light from the makeshift window. Tanya turned on a battery operated lamp.

             
“So charades?” I heard the truck start, backfire and begin to move. We were on our way.

             
No one said anything.

             
First stop would be Maddie’s house in Levittown, which I’m sure Dave looked forward to. I don’t know why he didn’t like Maddie.

             
Maddie had three adult children that could have survived the flu or the zombies and she hoped they would return home. Her husband and youngest son Kenny had succumbed to the flu. The council agreed that that any spouses, siblings and children could come back with us.

             
“How long to Maddie’s house?” Aisha said.

             
“With traffic on the LIE--”

             
“Jim,” Tanya said, not looking away from the window. “Knock it off.”

             
I wanted to keep things lively, but I did as Tanya asked. “Dave’s taking local roads so it might take a while.”

             
“At least he got us out of the parking lot—shit, Jim, you should see this.”

             
I got up beside her. Felt the air in my face. She moved out of the way so I could see the front of the store.

             
“Jesus.” I said. Dozens of dead zombies littered the front. Ernie burned the bodies when he could, but these were all fresh kills. Princess must have killed them to clear the road for us.
             
Then the truck stopped but the engine didn’t turn off.
             

             
“What’s going on?” Jake asked.

             
I looked around; we were in the parking lot. “I can’t see anything from here other than dead zombs.” I moved away from the window, wondering if I should contact Dave.

             
However, a moment later the door opened. Dave helped a woman into the truck. “We’re giving her a ride,” he said and slammed the door without any further information. A moment later, the truck began moving again.

             
It wasn’t any woman, it was Dot. 

“Hello Dot,” I said.

“Hello, douchebags,” she replied, despite Aisha being here.

“Oh, hell no,” Tanya said. “I am not dealing with this bitch.” She went back to the window.

“I guess Rachel was right, you don’t have the cancer.”

Dot shrugged, “I had it once,” then started coughing. She reeked of cigarettes.

“Did you pull the same shit on Dave?”

“No, I waved him down, asked him if he was going anywhere near Oyster Bay or Syosset and he let me in. Said I looked like his mother.”

“What’s in Oyster Bay?” Jake asked.

“Big fucking mansions. Gotta see if I can find one without the zombs and die in style on some silk sheets.”

“You can’t drive yourself?” I asked.

“Don’t got a car. Men always drove me or I took the LI double R.”

“You’ve been living in the auto store all this time?” I asked.

“Sure, why not, I’ve been loving those care packages you leave out. I tried to get Ernie to drive me but that jerk didn’t want to stray far from the store.”

I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long ride.

“You all mind if I smoke?”

“Bitch, we do mind,” Tanya said, looking away from the window. 

Dot laughed.  “Didn’t know you were one of those health nuts. You look like an addict.”

I thought Tanya would get mad, instead she started laughing. That seemed to piss Dot off.

I thought Dave did this to punish us. He hated Tanya and was against bringing Aisha. “Dot, you can’t smoke in here. We’ll suffocate. You’ll have to wait until we stop.”

“Suit yourself, losers.”

I didn’t respond, not much I could say. I was ready to kill Dave. Tanya withdrew and went back to watching the window. “Damn,” she said, “someone burned down Abel’s discount furniture.”

“Good riddance,” I said.

“So bozos,” Dot said. “Why you let her in,” she pointed to Ashley, “but not me.”

“Because you’re an ass and I’m not,” Ashley said.

             
Dot burst out laughing again.

“And what’s with the kid?” Dot said, pointing at Aisha who seemed to want to stay out of the way.

“I’m not a kid,” she said.

“You look like a kid to me.”

“I’m looking for my mom,” she explained.

“That’s brave of you. I wouldn’t want to find out.”

“No family?” I asked.

“Yeah, got me two bitch daughters.”

“Any of them on the island?” I can’t believe I was asking but we had to pass the time. I wasn’t ready to start pulling out the games.

“One married a fancy doctor, lives in a fancy house. One kid in Freeport. Both could be gone, either the sickness or zombs.”

“We aren’t far from Freeport,” I said, anxious to get rid of her. “We can check.”

“Nah,” she said. “I ain’t talked to the girl in three years.”

“God, you’re pathetic,” Tanya said. “That my daughter, I’d want her alive, even if we fightin’.”

“Her decision to make, not mine. Didn’t want to take care of her momma.  Neither of them did.  My fancy daughter went out to California, never even told me.”

Tanya laughed. 

“Like you would know about children, you’re a kid yourself.”

“I know enough.”

“Hey,” I said, and I grabbed a bag of M&M’s from my pack. “Who wants to play poker?”

I didn’t keep track, but I would say a half hour passed before the truck stopped.

“Guess we at Maddie’s house,” Tanya said.

“Which one of you is Maddie?” Dot asked.

“No one,” I said. “She stayed behind.”

“Smart.”

“I don’t know about you all,” Tanya said, ignoring Dot. “But I don’t care what Dave says, I’m sitting up front. Jim, you’re in charge, you tell him.”

“I don’t mind doing some driving,” I said, not ready to have a fight so soon with Dave.

The door opened to an annoyed looking Dave. Annemarie stood behind him with the gun pointed down.

“We’re here,” he said. “Make it quick.”

“Any sign of zombies?” I asked. I grabbed my clipboard with the names and addresses then jumped off the truck. The same copy was in the front, so the driver would know where to go. The front also had a CB radio and a two way radio to communicate between the front and back.

The tree lined street was in disarray, a couple of houses had burned to the ground and a tree collapsed on house at the corner, but I didn’t see any zombies. No sign of life, not even people but they might be reluctant to come out to strangers with guns. Tanya looked around. She had her crowbar out.

“Which one is Maddie’s house?” Jake asked. Tanya came off the truck along with Jake. Aisha came behind them.

             
“Can someone help me down?” Dot said. Dave went over to help her. “See,” she said, looking at me. “Chivalry ain’t dead.” I wanted to say she was no lady but I didn’t think it would help.

             
I looked around at the numbers and identified her house, a white two story with a small attic on top. Next to it was a partially burned house. Maddie was lucky hers remained intact. The windows of her house were boarded up and the address numbers were partially off. A Camry was in the drive way.

“This it?” Dave asked. I nodded. 

             
“What are we going to do? Ring the bell?”

             
“Think that’s a good idea,” Tanya said. “Are far as I know, zombies don’t knock.”

             
“Fuck it,” I said and went to the door. There was no note or anything on it. I knocked hard.

             
“Hello!” I said. Someone boarded up these windows.
             
             

             
“I don’t think anyone’s here,” said Annemarie.

             
“HEY!” screamed a male voice.  It sounded like it came from the attic. A shot rang out way over our heads. We weren’t meant to be hit, at least I hoped.
             
             

             
“Friendlys!” I yelled, putting my hands in the air. Not sure if I should run or stay.

             
“Move away from the house!”

I complied and walked to the street. I looked up into the boarded attic window and saw the end of a shot gun or rifle coming out of a small crack in the board.

“We aren’t here to hurt you!” I said. I looked around but saw no zombies, afraid that they might be attracted to our voices and the shot.

“What do you want?”

“I’m trying to find relatives of Madelyn Thomas?  Do you know her? This was her house.” The shotgun left the window but no response followed. 

“Hello?” I said, but only heard birds chirping, until the front door opened. A good looking but unkempt black man in his early twenties came out. His hair was a longish mess and stubble covered his chin. He had a shotgun but pointed it to the ground. He came directly to me.

“You know about my mother?”

“Your mother?”

“Yes, my mother. I came here looking for my parents and siblings. Is my mother, is she--” he couldn’t finish the sentence but I know what he was trying to ask. I responded quickly to ease his pain.

“She’s safe at the CostKing in Westbury. You know the place?”

“Oh my god, are you telling me the truth?”

“Come with us or go there and found out.”

The guy looked haggard, scared and mistrustful.

“Hey Dave, can I have the CB?” I said, figuring out a way to gain his trust.

“We shouldn’t waste the batteries.”

“Dave, give him the fucking CB,” Tanya said.

Dave grumbled, went to the truck and retrieved the CB then handed it to me. I switched it on.

“Care bear to CostKing bear, come in.” I said into it three times before I got a response.

“This is CostKing bear,” said Rachel’s sullen voice. “You guys okay?”

“We’re good. I need you to get Maddie.” The guy’s eyes lit up when I said it.

“Will do.” 

The radio went silent, then a few moments later. “Who’s there?”

The man began to cry. I’ve never seen a man weep like this before. He had to pull himself to together so he could speak and all he managed to croak out was “Momma!”

“Eric! Is that you?” she cried. “My baby Eric. I can’t believe it’s you. Thank the lord.”

“Momma, I’m so glad to hear your voice.”

“I know baby,” she paused. “Have you heard from your sisters?”

“Haven’t heard from anyone, not Kenny or dad either—“ he paused. “Are they gone?”

“Yes, baby, I’m sorry. They died at the hospital.”

Eric frowned.

“I’ll leave a note here and then come for you.”

“You can stay with me here. The nice folks tell you were I am?”

“Yes. I love you, so much, momma I will see you soon.”

“I love you too.” Then the radio went dead. He gave the CB to Dave who shut it off.

Then the unexpected happened. Eric embraced me in an enormous bear hug, holding me so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.