It’s weird as fuck seeing the world go back to basics. If the zombies weren’t here, I’d say this was exactly what the planet needed, though. I wonder if we’ll make it back home okay. I wonder if any of the animals have been able to survive all the zombies. I hope they have; I’ve always been sort of an environmentalist. I love animals. I still miss Spunky.
(Insert big dramatic sigh here)
I miss everyone. AJ and the way he’d see shit no one else did, and the epic way we’d kill zombies together. I miss Brian’s random sense of humor, Gretchen’s home cooking. I miss Jo’s motherly ways – something my own mother never had – and I miss Gabby and the innocence she brought with her. I even miss Howie – once he let his guard down, he turned out to be a cool fucking dude.
I wanna go home and see them again.
This whole road trip thing is kinda cool, though. It’s weird seeing no other moving cars, but there’s plenty of walking dead. I don’t see many animals; I think they just know when to hide. I’d like to think so. But we’re always on the road now. Trying to go home again. New age pioneers! I feel like we’re reliving the history books.
Only, ya know, with a car.
And zombies.
Song Quote of the Entry – JOURNEY!
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can't take this very much longer
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The mornin' sun is risin'
It's kissing the day…”
- Journey, “Wheel In The Sky”
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Week Twenty Eight
“Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam… where the deer and the antelopes plaaaaay…”
“Give it a rest.”
“Where seldom is heaaaard a discouraging word… and the skies are not cloudy all daaaaay…”
“Nick…”
“HOOOOOOOOOOME! Home on the range! Where the deeeeeeer and the antelopes plaaaaaaay! Where seldom is heard… a discouraging word…”
“Enough, Nick!” he could hear Kevin yell from up front. It was his turn to drive; they were going in eight-hour shifts. Already, they’d had to start siphoning gas from nearby cars along the road. With the lack of any true human life, gas wasn’t hard to find. It was keeping the zombies at bay while they got it that was the problem.
Nick huffed and grinned from where he sat at the end of the kitchenette. “Come on! We’re traveling the country! It’s the time to be going all country, y’all! We’re, like, in the Middle East now.”
Riley chuckled as she started fixing herself something to eat. “You mean we’re in the Midwest.”
“Yeah, that.” He looked up at her. “Oooh, whatcha got cookin’, good lookin’?”
“You are such a dork.”
“But I’m your dork.” He reached out and pulled her into his lap. Chef Boyardee Ravioli was tossed onto the floor as she dropped the opened can. The red sauce quickly began to run everywhere, with aide from the movement of the vehicle. She swatted him upside the head.
“You’re messy,” he teased.
“It was your fault, brat.”
“You love me,” he joked. She looked at him oddly, before recovering within seconds.
“You’re cleaning that up.”
He smiled, keeping his arms wrapped around her. There were plenty of things wrong with their current situation. Bleak was a mild description of their chances. Deep down, Nick knew that. But on the outside, and consciously, he chose to focus on the positive. It was the way he’d used to escape any other trial of his life before, and it was an old skill that he kept around now. Optimism was how he kept his sanity.
There was also plenty to be happy about. Their new mode of transportation was, in his opinion, far better than the airplane. He loved the tour bus and the luxuries that came with it. They were alive, which meant they could fight. Kevin was doing fine, and his reflexes were now as quick as ever.
He put his head against Riley’s, his nose in her hair. He smiled. Things could be worse, after all.
“What are you doing?” she asked, pulling up just slightly, so that she could glance back at him.
“Smelling your hair.”
Her brow quirked. “And can I ask why? It probably stinks.” The corners of her mouth curved downward as she wrinkled her nose. “I miss having real showers.”
“It doesn’t stink, and I like your smell.”
“Weirdo.”
“So where are we, anyway?” Nick asked innocently.
“Somewhere in the Middle East, remember? Hell, maybe we’re in Iraq.”
“Ha-ha, but no, seriously.”
Riley stood, walking over to the sink. She sidestepped the mess carefully, subtly reminding him he’d better be the one to clean it up. She leaned over and peered out the window to try and get a better glimpse of the road outside. Nick smirked as he got a clear view of her behind. His eyes focused on their newfound target as he enjoyed the new scenery. Her jeans lowered a bit on her hips, showing skin in the gap between the pants and snug sweater she wore. The weather was cooling off quickly, making him miss the warm temperatures of home.
“So?”
“Um… I think we’re in Nebraska.” It was a little farther north than their route called for, but they were having to take some detours because some roads were simply too clogged up to navigate.
Nick pondered that for a moment, before rising to run to the front of the bus. It had just hit him what day this was, and the irony of it didn’t get past him in the slightest. He could hear Riley laugh as she looked for a towel. He made a mental note to make it up to her later, since she had decided to clean. Otherwise, he was sure she was going to get him back for it later. It was the nature of their relationship, and he enjoyed every minute of it. He loved the way she teased him, tested him; it made everything fun and light in a world of darkness.
“Kevin! Kevy-Kev!”
“What did you just call me?” Kevin glanced over, his thick brows bunching together so much, they appeared to be one large caterpillar, living happily above his sharp, green eyes. Nick snickered at the thought.
“Dude, we should stop somewhere tonight, try to all rest. And, well, ya know, bond or something.”
“You don’t think this road trip is bonding?”
“It is, but we should bond more.” He looked out the front window. “Holy shit, that’s Chimney Rock!”
They were just driving by a large rock formation, otherwise surrounded by nothing by flat, grassy fields. The sun was beginning to set, casting the sky in a mix of orange, blue, and pinkish hues. It reminded him of those boring scenic calendars a lot of places used to give away for free. The mountain rose, like any other, up to a pyramid point, but then continued straight up, giving the distinct appearance of a house chimney. Riley walked up beside him and glanced down at the map. He could see her checking to see if he was right. Her eyes shifted back over to Nick with some surprise.
“How’d you know that?” Kevin asked.
“Dude, didn’t you ever play Oregon Trail?” He snickered. “You always go past Chimney Rock. Hey, we can try and go hunting! We can go shoot buffalo or something.”
“You would know a landmark from a computer game. And hunting? Nick, the only thing that would end up being hunted around here is us.”
“Aww…” Nick snickered again. “It’s a shame Howie isn’t with us. I bet he’d be the one who’d get dysentery.”
Once the chuckles died down, everyone grew quiet at the thoughts of those they had left behind. What if they came back to an empty base? What if everyone had left, or worse, what if everyone was dead? They would all blame themselves for having left in the first place, because they couldn’t see it happening if they hadn’t tried to fly across the country. None of them voiced their dark thoughts. Nick wouldn’t even admit to having them to the other two. Someone had to keep the chipper outlook in their little group, and he knew the job was his.
Finally, it was Riley who broke the silence. “What is dysentery, anyway? I never tried to look it up.”
“Intestinal infection, causes really bad and bloody diarrhea.”
The two blondes stared at Kevin. Nick shook his head. “How is it you know everything?”
The former military man ignored him, focusing on the road.
“Anywaaaaay…” Nick continued, leaning forward so that his head was almost on Kevin’s shoulder. “Let’s stop for the night. It’s Halloween! We can have our own little camp-out, tell scary stories…”
His girlfriend laughed. “Our lives aren’t enough horror for you?”
“Pleaaaaaase?” he pleaded, after sticking his tongue out at her.
Kevin sighed, as the three of them gazed out the windshield. Nick watched his eyes shift downwards and followed his line of vision. The needle of the gas gauge was flirting dangerously with the empty end. A sign advertising an RV park flashed by them as he drove. Their gazes went back and forth between the gauge and the road. Their eyes met.
“We can stop for the night. That’s it.”
Nick beamed. “Yes!”
“It’s only because I don’t want anyone siphoning gas after dark; it’s asking for trouble.”
“I know.”
Riley glanced up at him as Kevin pulled off at the next exit to drive to the RV Park.
Nick looked around, throwing open the door and jumping off once they parked the vehicle. He immediately shivered, feeling the brisk cold of October out there on the flat Nebraskan plains. Chimney Rock could still be seen in the distance, and for a moment, Nick was able to picture himself here back then. The roads would be dirt and as open as could be, the world an unknown adventure, the fight for survival not too different from the one they were currently battling. Nothing was guaranteed back then, just as it was now for them. He wondered if any of his ancestors had been pioneers. He wasn’t sure himself, knowing little to nothing about his family history. Not that it mattered anymore. He was just curious.
A loud moan snapped him back to the present. A slumping zombie, wearing ripped flannel, jeans, and cowboy boots, was approaching him. It was only feet away - too close for comfort. It was harder to see them coming as the night settled upon them. He whipped out a handgun Kevin had picked up during a scavenging hunt. Nick smirked, having the sudden thought to try something. The gun spun in his hands, western-style, before he fired it. The shot was wild because of his antics, hitting the creature in the shoulder. It stumbled back from the blow, but moaned again in response as it came his way. Nick shot again.
The gun clicked hollowly. It needed a reload. Horrified, he struggled to reload it as quickly as possible as he backed up, trying to stay out of the zombie’s reach. It moaned again, reminding Nick he needed to put it down before he was killed, or at least before it attracted more. Footsteps could be heard coming down the steps off the bus. His hands shook uncharacteristically as he tried to load the bullets into the chamber.
The sound of a gun firing followed.
Nick turned to see Kevin standing just behind him, blowing the tip of the muzzle of his gun. He suddenly felt like he was looking at John Wayne or something. He half-expected to see a cowboy hat materialize on top of his head, just so Kevin could tilt it down like they did in the movies. “Hey, Nick?”
“Yeah?”
“Do me a favor.”
“Sure.”
“Leave the cowboy tricks to me.”
