Nothing about this feels right.
I know there’s no “logic” to that, so Howie and Kevin would both look at me like I’m crazy. But it’s the truth. How can splitting up be a good thing? Watch ANY old horror movie (if you can get a generator and a working DVD player, of course) and you know as soon as the group splits up, they’re doomed.
It’s just horror logic.
Don’t laugh at it. It’s what saved me that night in the hospital, where I relived 28 Days Later. Zombie rules in horror movies. They did apply. They did save my life. Well, except for the biting thing, which is weird. I still don’t get why the bite thing didn’t happen. I mean, the whole logic of it is that it’s a more direct infection, and so we can’t fight it or something. But AJ got bit, and nothing happened. So no go on the no-getting-bit rule. Score one for the good guys?
Humans: 1
Zombies: 500,000,000,000,000,000
Sidetracking. Sorry.
This happened because of Kayleigh, who we still miss, more than you would ever guess. Just the other day, I caught Howie looking through the journal she kept, like the journals we all keep these days. We only found it about a week ago, tucked away. It’s hit him, Brian, and Kevin the hardest. Brian feels like it’s his fault, even though it’s not. Howie was the closest to her, and it’s like he lost his best friend. Maybe more, since we’ve already lost so many people this year. We’ve lost a whole world. How much more can we take?
Kevin blames himself for not keeping the base secure. So now he’s got this idea to really try and find out what happened to the rest of America. Three of us go, six of us stay behind. It’s not supposed to be a long trip. Just a couple days, tops, to try and fly around in this little plane and look for survivors. At least I’ll have Riley with me; that helps.
I have such a bad damn feeling about this. Maybe I’m just paranoid. I gotta try and make the best of it. If we find more people, it’ll all be worth it, right?
Maybe I’m nervous ‘cause I hate planes. Little levitating fucking deathtraps. Okay, calm down, Nick, no need for a damn panic attack. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
I need to stop thinking.
Song Quote of the Entry time. Now let me just say, I’m appalled at myself for not mentioning The Beatles yet. They were truly one of the greatest and most revolutionary bands of all time. A must-mention.
Now, I give you my song quote:
“Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders…”
- The Beatles, “Hey Jude”
Monday, September 24, 2012
Week Twenty-Three
He was flying.
Actually, that was inaccurate. He was getting ready to fly. Nick was in a small, private plane, enough room for perhaps two people at most. It reminded him of the toy remote-control planes he used to crash into the walls as a kid. Glancing around, he made sure he was strapped in and started up the engine. He was out in the desert, far from his Florida home, but they’d left to find survivors. So far, none had been found, but he tried his best not to think of it. He turned the plane as he began to pick up speed, heading down the lane.
His eyes skipped around nervously from within the cockpit, while he accelerated. As he pulled the throttle, he could feel the too-tiny-for-comfort plane lifting into the air. Why had he let Kevin talk him into this? This mission would have been better for AJ – not Brian, though, as he had a fear of heights bigger than his own. Still, the ease at which this went down was enough for him to be thankful, and a sigh of relief followed. He could feel his whole body relaxing as his plane rose.
He was okay.
Nick adjusted his cap, sitting sideways on his head. He felt himself smirk at his own foolishness. What had he been so worried about?
He was about to contact Riley when he felt it.
The plane gave an uncontrollable lurch that made him forget everything else, as his stomach decided to make a gigantic leap into his throat. His right wing was throwing him off. His heartbeat went on overdrive as he looked around, feeling helpless as he tried to stabilize. He looked over again. What had happened?
It wasn’t long before he found it. There, tearing into the wing, tearing it apart, was Kayleigh. She grinned at him. Her face began to immediately decay at a rapid pace. An eye was suddenly missing; her skin was coated in congealed blood. It was matted in her hair; the other half of her head was exposed, showing the partially-eaten grey matter that lay within a nest of feasting roaches.
The plane began its sudden nosedive. The right wing had burst into abrupt flames, as he lost any chance of control of the aircraft. There was nothing he could do; he was trapped, helpless to do anything but die.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” he screamed.
“NO!” Riley shrieked into his ear through his headset. “No…”
The small plane slammed into the ground, exploded into a shower of debris and planes. An orange fireball was consuming everything, was more dazzling than the sun…
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Nick, Nick, wake up!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Nick!”
“Wha-huh? Rye-Riley?” He was jolted awake by a hand shaking him gently, bringing him out of the terrors of sleep and into the horrors of reality.
For a moment, he was disoriented in a way he hadn’t been in some time. Not since April fifteenth, if he wanted to narrow it down. It hit him again: they were traveling for the first time since the dead rose. A survivor search mission. Riley hovered above him, a look of pure concern written on her face. Nick shifted, his eyes opening slowly, as he tried to adjust himself again in the small seat of the plane. He was far from happy about the idea of flying across the country, the way they were.
Already, it was causing him nightmares.
Just as he’d always had a fear of sharks, he’d always harbored a fear of planes, or heights, in general. It had been partly why he’d moved back from California on the road rather than on a plane. There was no source to this fear, unlike the sharks. He always remembered having it, even when he was just that scrawny, nerdy kid who was always pretending. While his younger siblings climbed trees, he’d been the one sitting on the ground below them, thinking they were crazy. He had tried flying on planes before, and, always, the immense waves of irrational, heart-stopping fear followed. When it came to heights, Nick just found it best to avoid them. Avoiding them meant avoiding a panic attack, typically, or a nightmare like the one he’d just had.
Planes weren’t the only thing haunting him, though. Thoughts of Kayleigh were, as well. Thoughts of her haunted them all. She had been the motive behind this whole mission.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Sorry Rye,” he muttered, glancing out the window. Bad idea, moron, he reminded himself irritably. He wondered how long he’d been asleep. Not long enough.
She sat down beside him again, taking his hand in hers. “I didn’t want to wake you, but you started thrashing and screaming. It really freaked me out.”
“Bad dream.” Her brow furrowed. He felt himself attempt a grin, not wanting to worry her in the slightest. “Planes just freak me out. I mean, there’s a reason why we don’t fly; flying’s just not good. I hate it.”
Riley laid her head on his shoulder, a golden curtain of hair covering part of her face. It was a simple action, yet it comforted him. It was always the simple things that made him happy. It was what he loved about her, that she somehow seemed to sense that about him. He rested his head upon hers, enjoying the feeling. “It’ll be okay. Kevin’s a trained pilot. And we’re not going to fly around the world or anything. Just to see if we see any signs of life, then to Colorado to refuel, then to California. If California’s a mess, then it’s a good guess America’s gone down the way Florida did.”
“That’s a hella scary thought.”
“Tell me about it.”
Nick sighed, shifting once more in his seat. He had never been able to sit still; it was much like his ability to focus, completely erratic. “If America’s gone… you think maybe…”
He felt her head shake against him. “I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about it.” Riley shuddered a bit, a look of pure, undiluted fear flashing across her eyes. “The idea of this… this curse going global? That’s enough to want to say ‘forget it’ and give it up right now.”
Nick turned his head towards her, meeting her gaze. “You think so? I’d say that’s more reason to try and fight, to survive, I guess.”
A smile tugged at her corners of her mouth. “You’re such an optimist.”
“Guys, we’re going to be descending in about twenty minutes; make sure you’re strapped in,” they heard Kevin announce, before they could continue any further. It was just as well. As much as Nick wanted to believe in their ability to survive in an entire planet overrun by zombies, it was hard to. They could hardly make it in a state where they were the minority species these days.
As they began their descent, however, Nick only let himself think of the positives. Doing that had helped him keep his sanity so far, and given all that had happened in mere months, he needed all he could get.
Still, he would never admit it, not even to himself, but there was just an inexplicable feeling that wouldn’t leave him alone.
One that said something was terribly, terribly, wrong.
***
“LAND!” Nick leaped down the steps out of the plane. Immediately after, he threw himself upon the ground, kissing it thankfully. He was beyond words in his feelings of no longer being in the air. He kept kissing the ground again and again. Footsteps could be heard coming down the steps only feet away.
“You realize you are so washing your mouth out before I kiss that again,” Riley teased, helping him up. Kevin chuckled, as they glanced around the seemingly-abandoned area. They had landed at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. It was a perfect halfway point to regroup and refuel before trying to scan the rest of the western side of the country.
“You love me and my dirty mouth.”
Riley didn’t respond, but he caught her trying not to smile as she adjusted the backpack she wore. Kevin tapped Nick on the shoulder. “I need you to help me refuel the plane. Riley, keep watch out for anything. It looks calm, but we don’t know for how long. If there’s undead here, they’ll have been attracted by the noise we made landing.”
Nick raised a brow. “This place looks dead.”
“Or undead.”
A smirk appeared. “Such an optimist…” he teased.
“Okay, there’s the refueling truck. Hopefully the keys are in the ignition or nearby; I’m not fond of the idea of trying to hotwire it.” Kevin yawned, stretching a bit. “You get it started, and I’ll get the hose connected to the plane. It shouldn’t take us longer than thirty minutes, and I feel like I’m overestimating.” He took a long look at the truck.
“What are you doing?”
“Making sure it’s the right kind of fuels. There are two main kinds, and if I use the wrong one, it would blow up the plane.” A pause. “Okay, we’re all right.”
Nick headed for the fuel truck, glancing around for any sign of the keys. The door was unlocked, and there the keys sat in the ignition. Nick had a feeling many had died on the base, or were already undead. The place was just too empty, too lacking of life, for anything else to be true.
The thought gave him chills. He turned the key, starting the ignition. Once the truck was running, he hopped back out, heading over to Kevin, who was fueling the plane as one would a car. It surprised Nick that it seemed so simple. He’d have guessed the military would make it more complicated. Riley stood not far from them, her eyes focused as she scanned the area, her rifle loaded and ready to go.
Maybe they evacuated in time after what happened to the east coast. Who knows? The idea of it was encouraging, but it also felt empty, an easily popped balloon of hope within their sky of broken dreams.
“Did you hear that?” Kevin’s voice called softly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“Hear what?”
“No… wait, I think I do. Shit!”
Then Nick knew what they were talking about. A chorus of moans, harmonically haunting, could be heard in the distance. The sound was echoing from all around them, all encompassing. The moans had a depth to them, one he hadn’t had to experience in a long time, not since the base had been swarming with the undead. Much like this base had to be, if there were no survivors here. Maybe there had been, but if there were, they weren’t there now. The sound of the plane would have attracted them.
Instead, all it did was announce dinner time to an immense amount of beings craving fresh human flesh. The three looked at each other. Kevin was still fueling the plane, and they had nowhere to go. Nick pulled his handguns from where they were strapped to his belt, next to his handy axe, as Riley tossed him some ammo from her backpack.
“Looks like the virus kept spreading.”
“Good God, how many people are zombies now?”
Nick set his jaw. “No need to think about that now.” He grinned. “Time to nut up or shut up.”
“You would quote a movie at a time like this,” Riley joked, glancing at him and then back at the zombies, which seemed to be coming at them from all sides. The approach was slow, staggered, and typical, but until Kevin was finished, they had no choice but to make a stand.
“Go get to a better spot!” Kevin yelled. “Both of you.”
“You’re nuts! Someone needs to cover you!”
“We’re both staying.”
“Like hell you are, Rye! Get to a better vantage point; snipe some of them down.”
“Both of you, go! That’s an order!”
“Sorry, Kev, but neither of us are military! If you can get that baby filled up, we’ll be okay to run on and fly the fuck out of here.” Nick’s eyes met Riley’s steadily. “Rye, go! You can keep a bunch of them from getting to us if you set up a spot!”
Her jaw set, and he could see the fire in her eyes as she opened her mouth to argue again. Yet the moans grew louder, and the ghouls began to come within range. Shaking her head, she ran to the nearest car, some yards away, a Hummer. He breathed slightly easier, knowing she was safer, just being higher off the ground. He could see her settling up top, her ammo handy and her rifle steady. He heard the constant sound of bodies hitting the tarmac, as his girlfriend shot them down from the top, one after another.
Nick aimed. “We’re so majorly screwed.”
The moans drowned out any reply Kevin might have had. Nick kept the shots going, and he could hear Riley’s gun going off as well. Kevin was shooting what he could with his free hand. The shots weren’t steady, and Kevin dropped the hose, shaking his head as fuel spilled along the ground. Nick didn’t get a chance to ask why, as the massive horde was keeping him too busy.
Shots kept coming, again and again. The sea of undead was endless; when some fell, more just stepped over them, ever-reaching for their prey. As they came within reach, Nick’s axe, the one he’d diligently kept sharp, came into play. Heads rolled along the ground; brown gelatinous blood sprayed into the air. Pure luck kept him from getting bitten, and although he knew he couldn’t be infected, he could still be eaten. The creatures were stumbling over the fallen bodies in their unremitting determination to reach the humans. Nick stared into the deadened gazes of a hundred milk-white eyes, the mouths slackened, bodies stiff and reaching.
Nick knew, as he continued the fight, struggling against them, that they were going to die here.
“We need to find another way out of here!” Kevin yelled, as he threw one over his shoulder. Once down, he shot it directly. Another was behind him, about to leap and sink its teeth into Kevin’s unprotected throat.
“Watch out!” Nick screamed. He fired at the corpse, as Kevin ducked. The shot was wild, as another made a grab at him. It missed the target, striking the plane instead.
A spark hit the ground, some feet away from the plane, landing in the trail of fluid left by the gas pump hitting the tarmac. And Nick knew what was going to come, only moments before it did. The ground burst into flames, and for a split second, his eyes stared into Kevin’s, each reflecting the same look of dread at what was about to happen.
The two pushed through the mob of zombies, no thought of killing, only of keeping themselves from being eaten and getting as far as possible from the plane. Nick couldn’t see Kevin anymore, as he kept fighting his way through. Time seemed to slow down for him as he did. He saw Riley, atop the Hummer, her line of sight stretching in the opposite direction, focused on her targets. She didn’t know.
“RILEY!”
He somehow found the strength to pick up his speed, reaching the vehicle with only seconds to spare. As he leaped on top of the hood, he grabbed Riley, flinging her over with him to the other side of the Hummer, as everything behind him burst into a massive downpour of debris. They hit the pavement as another explosion shook the ground; the car that had been protecting them flew over their head from the force of the blast. Nick kept himself over Riley’s body, close to the ground, shielding her from everything. He could feel the hot air blowing fiercely from all around; still, he kept his head down, buried into her shoulder. He could still feel her holding him tightly, afraid to let go.
The air was littered with fire and bits of metal and bone. Large flames danced where the plane and fuel truck had once been. They grew steadily higher, black smoke filling the air. Charred body parts were flung into the sky. Nick lifted his head up, seeing Riley panting below him, but safe and sound. He glanced around and saw that everything in the area was in flames. But that was far from the worst of it. The worst was the bodies still making their way in his direction.
The blast hadn’t killed everything. With the creatures just enough out of range, as he and Riley had been, they had only caught aflame. Fiery bodies were still making their way towards them, still hungering for the taste of their flesh. Nick was only thankful that they had some time; those closest to them had been torn apart by the explosions. The smell that consumed the air was overpowering, a mix of char and rot. He swallowed back the urge to vomit.
He looked back down to see Riley grinning tenderly back at him. “Nick Carter… you’re my hero.”
Despite their situation, he felt the almost uncontrollable urge to laugh. Only one thought kept him from doing so. Instead, he simply replied, “All in a day’s work, ma’am,” in what he considered to be one of his worst attempts at a cowboy country accent.
“Where’s…” She left the question unanswered.
“KEVIN!” he screamed, as he stood and helped her up.
“Kevin!” They ran forward, looking for any sign of their companion.
A body was coming in closer, limping steadily. Nick grabbed Riley’s rifle, ready to fire. “Wait, don’t shoot!” she cried. “I think that’s… Kevin.”
The two ran forward, to where Kevin was slowly walking. His body was covered with human remains and blood that could be none other than his own. His clothes were singed and torn, but they had no time to search for the wounds. They had to make it out alive before they could aid their friend and leader.
“I’m all right; we need to get out of here,” he croaked. This was followed by a series of coughs.
Nick grabbed his arm, wrapping it over his own shoulder so he could support him. He pointed at the Hummer some yards away. He glanced at Riley. “Try and get that thing going. Before the flamers get here.” He snickered at his own joke, while Kevin groaned. He couldn’t tell if it was out of pain or because of his joke. He suspected it was the latter.
She ran ahead, making her way to the vehicle. Thank you for sparing us, Nick thought, giving his silent prayer to the God who had once again decided to save them. Thanks, Kayleigh, for watching over us. Somehow, he had a hunch Kayleigh was helping them, even now.
He had never really believed much in a higher power. Given the life he’d lived, the family he had been born in, Nick had always lacked the faith needed to do so. How could there be a God who did nothing about the problems that plagued and pained humanity? It had never made sense. Yet now, in this new world, one that would never stop testing them, he finally understood.
Someone was protecting them. He could feel it.
***
The Hummer sped down the tangled mess of roads, crawling with ghouls. Nick was simply thankful the military vehicle could handle the difficulties pretty seamlessly, as Riley navigated. There was no real set destination in mind; their only thought was of getting as far from the base as possible. The fire had consumed most of the base by now, he was sure. The flames had only grown, as they ran down zombies in their high speed desertion.
He sat in the back, Kevin half-lying beside him. His shirt was open, as Nick tried to clean his wounds with the few materials they had. They had been lucky Riley had brought her backpack for the ammo. There had been a miniature first aid kit she’d packed as well. They needed more, but he was at least able to try his best at cleaning the wounds.
Bits of metal had pierced the former military man all along his chest; some had gotten in deep. Those had just been the little bits, but he wasn’t able to dig them out properly. For what felt like the millionth time, Nick missed Jo immensely.
“We need to find a place to camp out for now. To regroup,” Kevin said, refocusing them as always.
“Already on it.” She veered to the side, slamming the two men against each other. The elder grunted in pain. “Sorry.”
Nick readjusted himself, as he looked over Kevin once again. “This is the best I can do for now, man.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
Nick nodded, not feeling so sure, but wanting so badly to believe him, that he forced himself to. Of all people, Kevin knew what he was doing. If he couldn’t trust his judgment, what then? He glanced out the window as he readjusted in his seat. There were so many questions now. Was the whole world like this? It looked like the country certainly was. He shivered. How were they going to get back home to Florida? The mission was a bust, and trying to drive to California now felt ludicrous. The only option Nick could really see was trying to go home.
But could they go home again?
The car swerved again, but this time, he kept his grip. The Hummer slowed as it made its way across the green. Nick leaned forward into the front seat, surprised. “Rye, this is a golf course.”
“Yep.” She pointed to the clubhouse. “That’s gonna be our camp for now. We can see them coming in from on the green; there’s plenty of golf clubs as backup weapons and a way to fortify the area. Better than a residential area, which will probably be loaded with zombies.
Kevin nodded in appreciation. “Well thought. Not the best, but it’ll do.”
“Given the circumstances, I can’t think of much better.”
They may have used the word “camp,” but Nick knew this would likely be their new home for some time. At least, until they could figure everything out. His only prayer was that he would be able to one day see the faces of the people he called family once again. That when they’d said goodbye, it wouldn’t be forever.
Despite his prayers, he knew.
He just knew he would never see them, or the MacDill base, ever again.
