“I got us new rides,” I said. “Allison and I are going to run out and start the cars in the driveway. You clear a path, come up on the lawn, and then jump into the cars.”
“Roger that.”
I handed the BMW keys to Allison. I didn’t want to drive the car Donald bought for my ex. I’d rather drive his. Planned to beat the shit out of it after we got where we needed getting to.
“Where are we going?” Allison said.
It was an obvious question. My kids weren’t here. The whole journey had been about finding them, coming to their rescue. Getting us back together.
They weren’t here, and there was no indication to where they may have . . .
It hit me. There was one obvious place my kids might head to if things went bad at their mom’s home. And it was safe to say things went bad. Very bad.
The solution was almost too daunting, too much to comprehend. I thought I knew where my kids were, or where they were headed. “We’re going to run to the cars,” I said. “Get in. Start them up, okay?”
Allison nodded.
The zombies were preoccupied with the SUV. Josh was unleashing a solid case of whup-ass on them, breaking legs, and rolling over skulls. With the new arrivals, there were still about seven or eight zombies. The guy in the whitey-tighties was down. His head so flat I thought I saw tire tracks across his skin.
“On three,” I said. I placed a hand on my pocket, knowing the picture of my family was safe, and it gave me strength. I’d need it. We had to head back the way we’d just come. No one was going to be too happy about that.
We counted together, silently. Lips moving. No words came out. On three, the unlock button on the key fobs sounded. Lights on the vehicles came on. We ran, climbed into our cars and started the engines.
The Lexus had a full tank.
I hoped the BMW did as well.
I used the radio. “We’re ready for you,” I said.
I gave Allison a thumbs-up through our windows, and we waited.
Josh had the SUV in the street. He slammed it into reverse and sped backwards. He took out two, the truck bouncing over and crushing their bodies.
When he stopped, I held my breath. All at once, despite wet pavement, I heard tires squeal and saw rain water spray out of puddles as the Navigator lunged forward. It resembled a bizarre obstacle course. He wasn’t going around or avoiding orange pylons. He was running the zombies down. One after the other. He did a 180 and came up onto the lawn. The tires dug into the grass, but the ground was too hard to rut up the yard. The SUV slid to a stop alongside the driveway.
Allison threw open her door.
I screamed, “What are you doing?”
She jumped into the passenger seat of the Lexus. Dave and Josh scrambled into the BMW.
Josh gave me a nod.
I engaged the door locks, and backed out of the driveway. I started down the street and Josh and Dave followed close behind.
The Lexus struggled going over the corpses Josh left scattered on the road. The cars were not optimal for this, the way the Navigator had been. They would have to do.
“The BMW have a full tank?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t look.”
“Use my radio. Ask,” I said.
She took the radio. “Josh? Dave?”
“Right behind you,” Dave said.
“How are you for fuel?”
“Full tank.”
I nodded at Allison. Sounded good.
“Ah, Chase? Josh wants to know the game plan,” Dave said. “You have one, right?”
“Tell him,” I said to Allison, “My kids are headed to my apartment. We’re going there. Back to Ridge Road.”
Allison’s eyes went a little wide. She relayed the message. There was a long silence. The radio crackled.
“Josh says, at least we’re headed south.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The rain had stopped as we started south on the main road. I learned two things. The zombies definitely hate the rain, and two, they were not just dying off on their own.
Despite the darkness of a fall evening, the creatures spilled onto the streets. The variety of monster attire was mildly humorous. Business suits to sweat pants and a tank-top, to evening gowns, and bathrobes with slippers. Sanitation workers in green jumpsuits to fast food employees in striped Polo's with cargo pants and complete with a big M on the brim of their cap.
“You okay,” Allison said. Her voice shattered the peaceful silence that until she spoke, I had not realized I’d been enjoying.
“I am just trying to get my hands around all of this. The world is no more. I mean, I always thought we’d have a big war. Nuclear or something. That would change life as we knew it, you know. There’d be warnings. Irate third world countries threatening attacks. We’d suspect it was coming. But this? No one could have seen this coming. Or, no one outside of maybe the CDC. It’s just, it’s hard to accept it. There ain’t no other choice though. This is life now.” I sailed my hand from one end of the Lexus windshield to the other. “This is what we are stuck with.”
She put her hand on mine. Squeezed. “We’re going to get through all of this. Find somewhere safe. Find somewhere to live on some isolated island, and just forget about the world.”
The pipe dream sounded wonderful, I was afraid to admit that even to myself. I knew I was smiling though. Felt the muscles I hadn’t used in a few days stretch. “I just want to get my kids, Alley. Me, them, and you. It’s all I want.”
She leaned over, rested her head onto my shoulder. “I want that, too.”
It’s weird what we wanted. Before this, I wanted my kids for longer than a weekend. I wanted to see them on Halloween in their costumes. I wanted to beat the fuck out of my ex-wife -- well, I did that. Now . . . now it was all different. I wanted survival, and supplies, and a safe haven to sneak off and hide behind. And I did want Allison with me. By my side. I did realize that.
“I need you,” I said.
She lifted her head, stared at me. I took my eyes off the road. There was an actual tear on her cheek. Not a rolling raindrop that dripped from her hair onto her face. “You need me? You really need me?”
And then we crashed.
Through it all, as it unfolded in that cinematic way of slow-motion, the horn blared -- long, loud, constant, a Brrrrrrraaaaaaaaa that reverberated loose inside my skull.
I thought Allison had a seat belt on. She didn’t. Her body flew forward. Her head smashed into the windshield. It didn’t break. It shattered.
Brrrrrrraaaaaaaaa!
That was all I saw, or remembered as my head slammed into the steering wheel. The seat belt snapped me back against the seat. I felt the burn of the material against my neck and chest. And then, and then the fucking airbag ballooned into my face. Fucking Donald. I could blame Lexus, but I don’t. I blame him, my ex’s husband.
At least my nose didn’t get broken by the bag.
Brrrrrrraaaaaaaaa!
What was I doing?
Sitting in the car. Thinking about the air bag.
My door was pulled open. “Chase?”
Josh looked panicked. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
I didn’t know. I couldn’t tell. I didn’t feel anything. “We hit that car,” I said.
Josh moved away, went to the front of the car. The hood was busted into a triangle. He raised it.
Brrrrrrraaaaaaaaa!
The black Malibu was in the middle of the intersection. We t-boned the shit out of it.
The horn stopped. I think it did. My head still heard it. Wasn’t sure if the sound was actually being picked up from my ears though.
“We have to get you out of this,” Josh said.
“Where’s Allison?”