Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Since the Sirens (15 page)

“I was ready to leave for the night and go back to my dorm.
Mostly because I could barely stand after so much dancing, but also
because of the stresses in my life continued to creep in, even
there.”

Victoria stood up and stepped a few paces away from the tree, then
turned around to face them both. She seemed to be bracing herself for
the next part of her story.

Liam got a better look at the young woman, and was almost afraid
to let himself gaze in her direction. He had next to no experience
around girls in a social setting. He steered clear of them in school.
There weren't many girl gamers who enjoyed the types of games he
played, and none of his friends had girlfriends either. He just had
too many other things to keep himself occupied.

With Victoria, he found it hard to talk or listen to her without
actually looking at her. He willed himself to play it cool and
actively listen and nod, wondering if he would again find it too
distracting. However, this time he was struck by her silver chain
with a small religious cross hanging around her bare neck. Liam
couldn't define the reaction to it, but he found himself less
intimidated now, and could actually look at her without most of the
usual awkwardness. He was trying to understand where the feeling had
come from as she continued on with her story.

“Soooo, several of us were preparing to leave when we heard
a 'pop pop pop' over the headache-inducing music. I didn't know what
they were at the time but someone screamed “gun!” and
panic ripped through the place like wildfire. We weren't at the door,
but we were walking in that direction when this all went down, so we
saw the security guy come running our way—his gun still in his
hand. He was being chased by...some really sick people. Then things
got out of control.”

Victoria was visibly shaken relaying her story, but it was already
familiar to Liam after his morning. The plague victims had gone
insane—become zombies if you fancy that term—and had
found a nice cache of fresh meat. Somehow a small group of the sick
stumbled into the front of the club and started with the bouncer—his
arm had several bite marks as he ran by Victoria and her friends.
They then entered the club and made it impossible for anyone to
escape through the front door. They got busy attacking the unarmed
and, in many cases, immodestly-clothed patrons of the hot and sweaty
place.

Victoria explained she had two key advantages over most of the
people in the room: She saw where the infected came in and she knew
they weren't just sick, they were “bat-stuff” crazy sick
with that double-Ebola stuff. While the first instinct of some of the
revelers was to help the injured, she knew the only sensible course
of action was to get the hell out of there. So she ran.

She ran through the swirling crowd, directly into the back
hallway—where she had been passing the EXIT sign all night on
her way to the restroom. Several people had already punched out the
back, but none were her friends. She joined the lucky few in the
alley.

There she saw more plague victims—were they just wandering
around downtown? A couple of the club patrons had fallen under the
teeth of those loiterers before the rest of the escapees understood
what was going on. The threat wasn't just in the club – it was
outside as well.

“So I ran some more. First out of that alley, and then out
into the main streets. I had to keep myself clear of the buildings so
they couldn't grab me from the deeper shadows. None of the sick are
fast, but they aren't slow either. I broke the kitten heel off these
shoes so I could run even faster.” She pointed down to her
black shoes, now covered in road grime from her escape.

“I didn't realize nearly all the lights were off downtown at
two in the morning. It was eerie to say the least. But the lights of
the Arch were still on...so a small group of us started to make our
way down here. Along the way, plague victims continually seeped out
of the darkness to attack us anew. Guys tried to fight them—trying
to protect us girls I suppose—but they always ended up getting
brought down. Since we had no weapons, all we could do was run. So
that's what I did.”

“God help me I ran. I left all my friends behind. I left
everyone whom I had shared the dance floor. Some weren't as fast as
me. Some were kind of overweight—they didn't get far at all.
Others tried to get into buildings to hold them off. Maybe they
survived. But I just kept running. I betrayed everything I believed
about being a good Christian. A good person. I didn't try to save
anyone but myself! How selfish am I?”

Liam didn't know how to respond. He wasn't a religious person, but
could respect the devout of any faith. She had taken her desperate
running as a sign of weakness in her faith, while most
people—including him—would see her actions as just the
opposite. It wasn't like she could carry the slower people on her
shoulders.

Liam looked up at his grandma, suddenly aware of the implications
of Victoria's story. Would he be forced to run and leave her behind?
Could
he leave her behind? The thought had crossed his mind a
few times in the last day, though Victoria's plight made it all the
more real.

“I'm not sure how long I kept going. It was a bad dream.
Sometimes I ran toward the Arch. Sometimes away. It always depended
on where the sick were moving, and who they captured. And then,
finally, I had a clear shot and reached the last street before this
park. In the dim light I saw several police officers on horses, armed
to the teeth. They watched me run by but said nothing—maintaining
some kind of silent vigil at the edge of civilization. I was so tired
at that point I didn't even think to tell them what I'd seen or where
I'd come from. There were a few other people running behind me, but I
just dashed into the park—oblivious to anything but what was
ahead of me. I ran all the way to the river before I stopped. Now I
really wish I would have made even a token effort to save someone
else.”

She shook her head, as if tossing out the bad thoughts.

“I was so amped up that first night I was scared to be
alone. I just walked around aimlessly in the small crowds under the
Arch until dawn. Eventually I found myself staying close to the
police officers near the edge of the city. At least I knew they had
guns and could protect me. Several times they did.”

“In the late morning tornado sirens across the whole city
began to wail. The panic it caused down here was amazing. People
started running in all directions. I watched as some jumped in the
river only to get washed away. Many people left the park as others
came in. I was one of those who left.”

“All afternoon yesterday I tried to walk back through
downtown to get back to my dorm, but always there were people running
from the sick. “Don't go that way” they'd yell. “Follow
us to the Arch” others would call. I was probably on every
street within ten blocks of here, looking for safe passage. Never
found one. As more people took to the streets, it cut down on the
number of infected initially—since people were killing them on
sight—but toward evening there were more and more sick people
lurking in the shadows and fewer and fewer healthy people fighting
them. I'd been on my feet for almost 24 hours straight; I was
reaching my limit.”

“It took a few close encounters to realize I'd have to wait
under the protection of the police down here or I'd end up dead. By
the time it got dark I was safely inside the park, trying to find
someone in charge so I could ask what to do next—but that
person doesn't exist apparently.”

“The last thing I remember was collapsing next to this tree,
right here. I sat down to lean myself against the trunk, and fell
asleep instantly. I woke up when you ran me over.” She was
pointing to Liam, but without much hostility this time. Maybe even a
wisp of a smile.

Victoria was looking around as if she was seeing the place for the
first time.

“How did all these people get here? Where are they going? Is
anyone helping the sick? Is anyone rescuing those still trapped in
the buildings downtown? Where is the medical tent?”

It was Grandma with the answer, “Sweetie, I think you know
more than we do.”

Victoria crossed herself and said softly, “Then God help us
all.”

Grandma responded with a similarly solemn, “Amen.”

4

The trio settled in after Victoria gave them a little more back
story. Liam also told her of their adventures, up to the point where
they reached the Arch. She seemed impressed he was able to get the
aged woman safely to this point, which made Liam feel proud despite
all the doubts he'd had along the way.

Grandma fell asleep as they traded details of their stories, and
the afternoon crept on. Liam and Victoria were sitting in the grass,
a bit away from Grandma so she could rest and recover in relative
peace. The crowd was thick everywhere now, but was very subdued given
the situation. From time to time they heard gunshots on the periphery
of the grounds. Liam assumed it was the police cordon being tested by
the infected. He couldn't see anything nearby to suggest zombies were
in the park yet.

“So what are you guys going to do next? Are you going to try
to get over to Illinois?”

Liam looked out through a line of trees and could barely see the
two bridges that bracketed the Gateway Arch grounds. He didn't see
traffic moving in either direction. He observed the bridges when he
walked in from where he parked his car and never saw any traffic
moving across, so he was pretty sure the bridges were closed. He
didn't mention that to Grandma as he didn't want to worry her with
all the other problems they were wrangling.

“I don't think the bridges are open right now. That could
make getting to Illinois difficult, especially for her. I don't think
she's ready to swim across.” He laughed a bit at his own joke,
but the truth was he did wonder how they could sneak across. He
didn't want to admit he may have come downtown for nothing.

Victoria gave a wan smile and shared her own plans.

“I had hoped to get back to my dorm room to at least get a
change of clothes, but then I want to try to get to the airport and
get a flight to Colorado.”

Liam hadn't even thought about airplanes since this whole disaster
started, but he had a feeling getting a flight wouldn't be that easy.
One recent news event did break through his gaming-fueled social
isolation; the Ebola crisis. He remembered how they stopped all
flights from the affected countries to prevent the disease from
spreading to the United States. It worked, or so they were told. The
disease never broke out in America, despite a few isolated cases. No
cordon is ever 100% effective.

But was there some parallel with this new disease? It had been
described as both the flu and “Ebola-like” by people over
the last couple days. Did it simmer somewhere overseas only to
explode at some point because the proper protocols weren't in place?
The CDC guys said it surprised even them. Something to chew on,
though Liam knew it was unlikely he'd ever get the truth.

The talk of Colorado jogged a memory of another family member; his
dad's mom. Liam's minor claim to fame—actually he was more
embarrassed than anything—was being related to a politician.
Grandma Rose ran for, and won, a seat in the US House of
Representatives the year before. She wasn't around much—she
lived in Colorado—so Liam knew very little about her other than
she had sent $100 bills for birthdays for as long as he could
remember. His dad mentioned her once recently, while talking to
Grandma Marty on the phone. Liam didn't ask what his dad had said,
but he could hear Grandma talking with him about Rose and Colorado.

I wonder if she will survive in the Rocky Mountains?

He imagined Colorado would be safer than most places, with its
remote mountain ranges and sparse population. Liam doubted Grandma
Rose would be out in a tent in the mountains staying safe, but if
Victoria ever made it home, he might at least ask her to look her up.

Although he had his doubts about her chances of making it back
home anytime soon, he opted to say nothing to dampen her spirits. He
even found a pang of jealousy sneaking about, because he didn't want
her to find refuge while he labored in the chaos of this city.

The ill-feeling passed quickly. He knew he would be happy for
anyone who escaped, especially this pretty girl conversing with him.

She continued to talk about the details of her life, but Liam
wasn't really listening anymore. His mind was in overdrive to answer
the only question of consequence.

What
are
we going to do next?

5

Liam snapped back to the present when a Catholic priest began
hovering over Grandma, saying a prayer and putting ointment of some
kind on the backs of her hands. Her head was slumped over as she
slept. Clearly there was some kind of mistake here. Liam stood up;
Victoria did as well.

“Excuse me, my grandma's not dead.”

I’m 99% sure.

The Priest was an old black man, with white hair and sad eyes. He
was in black pants with a black shirt, with only a white collar to
give him away.

“Hello my son. This is just a precaution. She doesn't have
long with this plague going around.”

There was an anger building inside Liam he didn't quite
understand. No matter how well-intentioned, he did not like the idea
of this Priest essentially giving up on Grandma.

He stood there and watched the Priest, not really knowing what to
say or do.

The commotion must have jostled Grandma awake, and she took things
in stride.

“Father please. I'm not dying!”

Thank God!

The Priest looked at her for a moment, seemed to finish his
prayer, and then he walked away with a final “Go with Christ.”