The Long Way To Reno (23 page)

"But
my home's over there," I pointed. "It's off South Virginia, off
California – "

"Near
Reno High?" Chloe spoke up, snapping gum. "Not safe. That's where
Camp 7, is."

"The
vaccinated," Chuck added, giving my outfit a frown. Obviously, he didn't
approve of pink and ruffles. "Are you vaccinated?"

"Not…not
that I know of…what do you mean, Camp 7?"

As
he spoke, Chuck surveyed the area, looking for danger. He reminded me of a
predator on the Discovery channel – a lion, or something. The way his
facial features shifted, the tone of his voice – he was the quiet,
dangerous character on a video game that went ninja on everybody, but
definitely on the side of good. The other two relaxed a little, allowing him to
talk while they took positions that allowed them good eye of the area.

“
Listen
.
There are three large camps out here. One is ours – we’re in the Sparks
area, just off the boulevard, here. The other two camps belong to the
vaccinated – they are the majority with weaponry. They have a strong
prejudice against those that aren’t vaccinated.”

“So…there
was a vaccine,” I said, mainly to myself. “I thought they were just stories.”

“No.
It was true. They," Chuck pointed up at the sky, indicating our invaders.
As he spoke, he began moving for the sidewalk, and I followed because he had
some sort of magical leash on me, and I felt compelled to listen, "attacked
first with releasing the flu strain on us. The military began killing everybody
that didn’t have it. And because it’s not certain that this virus is completely
dead, they’re still intent on killing us.”

The
situation was so similar to the second edition in a zombie survival series,
where the bodies of the uninfected puzzled the survivors in New Orleans. I wish
I could point this out to stupid Harley, who refused to believe in the things
that I did.

“They’re
set up in the center of Reno. Also, they're on Damonte, Camp 2,” he said as he
pointed down South of Reno. “These are the only military run camps to survive
the uprising so far. Civilians have attacked the others, revolting against
their law."

Chuck
was then leading us up towards the K-Mart shopping center, which was strangely
abandoned. There were no vehicles anywhere. Trash fluttered about, and I felt
uneasy with the lack of bodies, of
presence
in this area. I continued to
follow, but I looked over my shoulder with a worried expression, noting that I
was moving
away
from the direction I wanted.

“They
don’t come this way much, but sometimes we run into them when we’re out
scavenging,” Chuck continued. “Our camp is still relatively new, but we got
rules in order to survive. Clear with me, so far?”

I
nodded, feeling anxious as we kept moving. They had a brisk pace – I
practically had to jog to keep up with them.

“The
camps keep track of everybody coming in and out. This one has documented every
person that made it so far.”

“I
need to find my parents,” I said, almost on automatic. "We live – I
know they're safe, my dad works for the Reno Police Department, homicide."

Chuck
frowned at me. We ended up stopping right outside of a Payless shoe store so
that he could get his thoughts in order. He looked at Diego.

 Diego
touched my arm – he was like a motherly type, and it started to dawn on
me that these two had a relationship of some kind. The way they looked at each
other was the same way dad and mom would communicate before adding words to
their lecture. “Well…some of the cops we've talked to at the camp mentioned
that they were vaccinated months earlier. Their families were offered this same
vaccination. We have come to assume that this is what makes them immune. It
sounds as if it were preplanned.”

Government
conspiracies, I assumed silently. Working in cohoots with each other. Who
knows, probably next year’s president was some grey alien with human officers. I
tried to think of dad ever mentioning his flu shot. Mom did bother him for one
every year, but…I don’t remember them ever saying anything about getting flu
shots.

“The
only dangerous things to watch out for are other humans,” Chloe said with a heavy
sigh. “And you look like easy bait, princess.”

“Were
you offered one?” Chuck asked me pointedly.

“No,”
I replied, a little sheepishly. I cringed, finding it rather absurd to admit
one of my biggest fears at a time like this. “No, I don’t…I…I’m afraid of
needles. But my dad never mentioned anything about getting one. I usually know
when, because…mom – she always pestered him to get one. They're an older
couple, so…”

“Then
they could be at one of the military-run camps,” Diego murmured, looking at
Chuck.

At
one hand, I felt better thinking that this vaccination saved them from becoming
Rabid during the first assault. On another, it meant that they were in places I
couldn’t get to without being shot down by militant forces. But maybe they were
waiting for me, there. Maybe I wouldn't get shot, with their forces knowing I
was going to show up.

"Should
we take her?" Chloe asked Chuck. "Or just leave her?"

"I
could just…go on my way," I said, a little too quietly. "I just…I
just want to find my parents. That's all. I don't – I don't have anybody
else."

"What
about the other party you were with? Where are they?" Chuck then asked me.
"We're collecting as many people as we can away from here. If you don't
want to go, then we're not going to make you."

"Um,
well, we came in from Fernley. Separated at Scheels," I explained briefly.

Chuck's
face gave this little twist – it was funny, because it made him look a
little soft. His eyes turned anxious, and Diego touched his arm, as if giving
him support. Clearing his throat, Chuck asked, "Who were your
people?"

"This
redneck from Cold Springs. Harley Troy. A couple of kids we found on the
way," I said with a shrug.

Chuck's
face reddened, and he gave this sound, like he'd been holding his breath for a
long time. Diego's face brightened, and when they looked at each other, I
instantly realized why Chuck looked so fucking familiar. Before I could even
say anything, Chloe asked hastily, "Is he okay? Which way was he
going?"

"Cold
Springs."

Chuck
whirled away and began to stride back towards Oddie, intending on head west.
"He might be taking the freeway home, Diego! We can get there, and
look."

"No
wonder you looked so familiar!" I exclaimed. "I'm beginning to think
that cockroach will survive anything. Hey, good luck looking for him!"

"Watch
out for hordes, princess," Chloe said, shoving past me. I almost fell, but
Diego caught me. He gave me a patient look, reaching back into his pack.

He
withdrew a smaller bag, something I fumbled with as I tried to glare after the
big man that had almost stepped on me. "Extra food. Jerky. Matches. Toilet
paper. An emergency fire blanket. The camp in Sparks is located at Mendive
Middle school. If you should go there, they are keeping tracks of names. You
never know – your parents could be there."

"But
they're probably waiting for me," I said, taking the bag. "I'm just
trying to get home."

Diego
gave me a slight frown, a gentle look of consternation. "If you can get
around the military presence there, then I'm sure you'll be fine. But it's
hostile. Be careful. Travel at night."

I
nodded because I felt like I had to, and watched him go. With this valuable
information in mind, I looked at the bag that Diego had given me. I clutched it
with both hands, feeling panicked because I don't remember dad ever saying
anything about a flu shot. I don't remember mom bugging him about one.

I
had to wonder if they were truly safe, if I was making the right decision in
going home. What if they weren't there? What if they were at one of these
military camps?

What
if they weren't in Reno?

I
swallowed tightly, unsure of what to do, where to go. I gave the empty parking
lot a helpless expression, practically mindless with indecision. I wanted to go
home, and yet - ! What if I did, and…and then what?

Chapter Thirteen

I
thought about what I was going to do in order to find my parents. I also had to
think about how, if I found nothing at home, how I was going to approach Camps
2 and 7.

I
heaved a tired sigh. I was conflicted on my efforts, but…I told myself that if
I was able to make it this far, then my parents weren’t that far away from me.
My dad could still take care of my mom, and – if luck was carrying me
this far, then it shouldn’t be so stingy with them. They were out there
somewhere. I just had to keep looking. I sat down and pulled my bag onto my
lap. I went through the supplies I had, then found space to put the pack in.
Just to be on the safe side, I put my matches in a pocket I could easily reach.
Since I was near K-Mart, I figured I should load up on stuff like this.

The
store was ransacked – everything valuable was gone. Blankets, clothes,
camping things, food – but I noticed that some of the household cleaners
were left, and I ventured towards these things. I found more hairspray, some
Raid, then went looking for dishrags, candles, oil.

Afterward,
I began my walk on Oddie. I heard a dog barking in the distance, and birds
called from the nearby park. I heard a woman's cackle from somewhere in the
parking area beyond me – it comforted me that there were survivors still
out, but I didn't want to run into any. I was really tired, and couldn't think
straight – I was stressed over what Chuck had told me, and I didn't know
what I was going to do if I found that my parents weren't at home. Somewhere
near the 395 north freeway overpass on Oddie, I paused. I stared out at the
houses beyond the freeway, the line of abandoned cars at my front.

I
could take Oddie directly to Wells. From there, I could get home.

But
what if they weren't there
?

My
lower lip trembled, and I looked behind me.

I
could take Oddie all the way back to Prater, and that would take me to Mendive
Middle school. A day's walk from this area. I could go there, check in my name,
check to see if they were there – after all, it was near I-80, the
freeway out to Fernley. What if they had gone looking for me that night? What
if their car was stuck there, and they'd walked back - ?

Oh,
God
, I didn't know what to do. What if I went all the way home and
discovered that they were in Sparks? Or if I went back to Sparks, and
discovered that they weren't there? What if the military guys took them into
their safe camp and made it impossible for them to reach me?

Either
way, I'd have a long walk to do because I made the wrong decision.

I
swallowed hard. The area was so silent and still that it felt like time had
stopped. Nothing moved. The cold was just as vicious as it had been last night,
and though the snow melted, the skies promised more as clouds rolled in from
the north. It looked like it had fallen thickly on the mountains, and a strong
wind was picking up.

I
was just about to continue forward on Oddie, to just go as far as I could until
nightfall when I heard a strange noise. A horse was jogging down from the
on-ramp onto 395 South, and the sight was extremely strange to me. I saw horse
trailers all the time – this was still Reno, part of the Wild West, but
to see a horse just galloping about from the freeway was just a strange sight
to see.

It
looked as if it noticed me, and began moving in my direction with a sound of
discovery. I don't know what to do with horses, how to behave around them
– they were more dangerous than dogs, I suppose, and I heard they bite.
Anxiously, I looked around myself, intending on walking briskly away from the
animal. I heard the sound of its hooves hitting the street as it moved into a
gallop, and I figured, from the pace it took, that it wasn't going to kill or
attack me in anyway. Maybe it was like a human, just happy to see something
living.

I
turned to address it in some way, and stopped short. I couldn't describe seeing
this humanoid
thing
pull the horse up into the air with a jerk, the
animal emitting a scream I'd never heard before. I don't know where this alien
thing came from. I didn't even see it appear. It was just suddenly
there
– eating the horse.

I
turned and ran because I didn't want to see what happened next – I ran
back the way I came, certain that thing was going to come after me. But when I
looked back, it was occupied with what remained of the animal that had, moments
before, been relieved to see me.

I
used that occupation to get as far away as possible from the thing, and, in the
end, decided to keep on running.

:
:

I
found a Hummer overturned on its driver's side near the intersection of Pyramid
and Prater and crawled inside. It was cold, I was freezing, tired – I
just wanted to sleep. Inside was a sprawl of clothes that had been stuffed into
trash bags – things packed in a haste for the people that had owned the
vehicle. They were now essential with keeping me warm. I was too scared to
light a fire, thinking I'd attract Rabid and the thing that killed the horse.
Along with human predators.

I
pulled as much as the clothes and towels as I could onto me, and cried myself
to sleep. I didn't like that I was back in Sparks, I didn't like that I was
farther away from home than I was in Fernley – because, dammit, I was
just right in town and I was still so far away - !

I
cried because I was frustrated, tired, hungry and so fucking alone. I was
getting used to not having people around me, and I started to realize that I
did need people. Well, people who did things
my
way, with me.

I
couldn't help but feel that Harley was lucky to have the kids with him, to have
his father mere moments from finding him. I couldn't help but feel jealous,
feel anger, and feel frustration that my own father hadn't found me yet. Dad
knew how helpless I was – so why hadn't I found him, yet? Didn't he know
how much peril I had been in since that First night? Why wasn't he here?

I
was angry at myself for thinking this way, because I knew he was safe with mom
somewhere. I just…I just wanted to be with them. That's all.

The
next morning, I left the vehicle with sluggish action. I was so sore that
moving was an extreme chore. Every part of me ached. I was starving, my feet
hurt, I had to pee, but I didn't want to do it out in the open. I wanted
working bathrooms, I wanted a shower, I wanted new clothes – I wanted to
be in my own bed!

I
stretched and glared at the streets around me. Nothing moved, but the wind was
blowing harder and the clouds were covering up the sun that was shining so
brilliantly yesterday. It was definitely going to snow, and I knew I had to get
somewhere solid, safe. I wiped my bleary eyes, and begrudgingly headed up
Prater. I hoped to
God
my parents were at the school.

I
had nearly reached the intersection of Prater and McCarren when I heard the
gunshots. They were like firecrackers exploding in a trashcan. I could hear the
echo of ricochets, the sound of glass breaking and metal bursting under impact.
Shouts rang out, and men screamed at each other to stand down. So much
screaming, so many orders – I didn't know where they were coming from. I
whirled around as more gunshots rang out, and a cop cruiser's window exploded
out by my side.

I
squealed and crouched, covering my head. Not even moments later, three guys ran
by, reloading their guns. They were dressed in military garb, and screaming orders
to each other and at those behind them as they whirled around to shoot. One of
them was hit, and he fell to the pavement while the other two ducked for cover.

The
cruiser I sat against shifted as someone crawled atop of it, firing repeatedly
with a shotgun. From the death scream, I knew one of the soldiers were dead.
The other pleaded for understanding as to why they were being turned upon.
Pleading turned to cursing, and more gunshots rang out as the two exchanged
rounds with each other.

The
guy with the shotgun fell on me, dead. I pushed his body away, scrambling to my
feet. The moment I was up, my arm was ensnared within a vice-like grip, and
people shouted about the area being clear. I had time to see civilians with
guns moving briskly with soldiers dressed in various uniforms, all of them
looking exhausted. There were more survivors within the group, scared women and
children carrying all that they could, and I realized these were the good guys.

The
guy that grabbed me wasn't a guy at all.

"You're
fucking kidding me!" Sandy exclaimed, looking extremely pale underneath
her freckles. "You okay?"

"Are
you still shooting everybody?" I asked warily, being pulled alongside her
as she then turned away from me and bellowed forcefully towards a guy
struggling to strip the dead soldiers' gear from their bodies. Once her
attention returned to me, she yanked me along with her, the group of us heading
up Prater.

"No,
not anymore," she said breathlessly. I think it didn't occur to her that I
was moving fine – she was pulling me because everyone else was being
hustled as best as they could go. Everyone looked exhausted. All but three of
the guys were holding onto clinging children, bags stuffed with valuables
dangling against wearily moving bodies. I had to wonder if I'd seen these guys yesterday,
behind Rail City.

"There
isn't that many people, anymore," Sandy continued, winded as she glanced
around herself. I had to look for Benson, but the guys wearing their helmets
looked the same to me. I recognized the Army gear of a couple of soldiers,
along with some Marines. I was going to ask Sandy again what branch she and
Benson were from when she said, "So we're helping everyone we can find.
There's a safe place for all over you, at this school. We're taking you
there."

"Do
I have a choice?" I tried to ask, pulling at my arm when she then looked
at me with surprise, then around me, coming to a stop.

"Where's
the rest of you?"

"We
went our separate ways. Harley couldn't tolerate my attitude, anymore," I
said, rubbing at my arm. "Ow, you have the strength of a man. That's
almost a turn-on."

"You
- !" she trailed off wearily. She pushed me ahead of her, signaling that I
keep moving with the others. One of the guys in uniform passed over some bags
he had strapped on him, and I almost stumbled as I took them, handling them
awkwardly as I slung them around my shoulders.

They
kept us moving at this grueling pace. The women carrying their children looked
like they were going to drop, but their kids kept them going with
encouragement, soft cries. The people in uniform had us surrounded with their
guns, taking in the area with caution. It wasn't with the duck and hide caution
that I had gotten used to. It was practically a sprint towards uncertainty. The
civilian guys with guns were telling the soldiers where to go, so it seemed
like the friendly military cover had just recently joined their group.

"Down!
Down
!" one of the guys shouted, before gunfire erupted again.
Everyone dropped behind abandoned vehicles as bullets sprayed over the metal.
Women screamed in panic, frantically covering their children while those with
guns began moving to better vantage points to fire back. Sandy shoved me so
hard against a Blazer that I knocked my head off the window before collapsing.

Two
of the civilian guys fell, their guns clattering over the pavement.

An
alien scream tore through the air, and Sandy cursed before ducking suddenly. My
eyes widened at the sound of an Usher, and the approaching sounds of an
incoming Rabid flock. It sounded as if they were coming up from ahead, and I
fumbled with my bag, shoving the newest ones off me in a frantic race to get to
my supplies. I heard orders shouted away from us as the incoming threat caused
those guys to stop shooting at us.

Above
the sound of the Rabid snarls and screams, the Usher's accompanying commands,
Sandy and the others began coaxing the women and children to move with them,
using the distraction of the Rabid's intention on the other group of people.
The guys on our side were shooting frantically to provide some cover –
people screamed those horrendous screams they made when the Rabid overtook
them. With how rapidly they changed, I knew this group would be overrun in
seconds.