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Chapter 89


I hate feeling like such a fucking liability. I almost got my girl killed ‘cause of one of my damn seizures. She should’ve abandoned me, but she didn’t. Kevin eventually found us at the office she had dragged me to. Dragged me, you hear that? Because I had a fucking seizure and almost got us both killed.

I would’ve deserved it.

We’re getting closer to home. I can’t wait to see everyone. Kevin says if we keep along the coastline and don’t run into anything major, it could be really soon. I’m excited. I’ve missed Florida all to hell. I’ve missed everyone we left behind more. I mean… we’re family. In some ways, more than my so-called “real” family ever was before.

I know it ain’t right to speak ill of the dead and all that… but it’s the truth.

Anyways, you know how the world before the undead feels like a lifetime ago? Now, it’s weird, but life at the base feels that way too. I know it’s only been about two months, but it feels like longer. I guess it’s just cause we’re damn lucky to be alive right now. Too many close calls, for all three of us.

But… at least it brought us closer together, right? Silver linings in everything – remember that.

Song Quote of the Entry – this has NOTHING to do with what I’m talking about. But I’ve had it stuck in my head for like the last week. Pretty sure I’m about to drive Rye crazy ‘cause I keep singing it. See, we found a Greatest Hits album at one of our recent supply runs…

“I was working part time in a five-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
'Cause I was a bit too leisurely

Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing
But different than the day before
That's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her
She walked in through the outdoor, outdoor

She wore a raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her…”

- Prince, “Raspberry Beret”



Saturday, November 17, 2012
Week Thirty

“She wore a raspberry beret… damn it, Nick, now you have me singing it!”

Nick snickered from the passenger seat of their new truck. Stealing it had been easier than trying to siphon gas, which was becoming more and more problematic as they traveled the road. The weather had taken a nasty turn; they’d caught the tail end of hurricane season down south, and while they hadn’t actually had the misfortune of facing a full-fledged hurricane, they had been dealing with endless downpours of rain.

Riley was taking her turn to drive now, with Kevin in the back. They didn’t let Nick drive anymore. As much as that stung, he didn’t protest. It would just cause arguments he didn’t want to have right then. He stroked his chin, feeling the facial hair that had grown there. It was more than that, though: he knew they were right.

The rain continued in a downpour that was frustrating all of them. It was slowing them down, when all they wanted, at this point, was to get home. Even Riley, who always talked about how much she loved the rain, was muttering curses as she swerved around abandoned cars along the narrow back roads they took. Nick glanced down at the map he was supposed to be using to navigate, a task that was getting harder as landmarks were becoming impossible to see.

“Maybe we should stop,” she said, glancing first at him, then back at Kevin.

“You think?” Nick asked, sounding almost hopeful.

“No, the weather’s just going to get worse before it gets better. We just need to be careful is all.”

“Yeah, because we’re never careful…”

“You know what I meant.”

“Oooh, When Doves Cry, I love this song!” He reached forward and turned up the volume.

“I almost miss the Michael Jackson songs,” Kevin said with a smirk.

“Dude, I haven’t seen another CD of his. Why did the apocalypse have to happen after everyone pretty much ditched them for iPods?”

Riley snickered, keeping her eyes focused on the road. “We’ll have to tell the zombies that they should’ve come sooner, then. Just for you.”

“Please do.”

She shook her head, but he saw the grin she was trying to hide.

Nick did his best to watch for landmarks, but all he could see were water, trees, and swollen zombies roaming in the distance. It was like one of the lame movies he’d once auditioned for. They were wearing torn jeans and flannel, bellies bloated and poking through the fabric to reveal their maggoty flesh. One even had a banjo dragging from where it stepped through it.

Hillbilly Zombies – that would’ve made an epic TV show, he mused.

A slam of the brakes and a sudden jerk forward snapped Nick back to reality. He grunted in response, just glad he hadn’t hit his head on anything this time. Nick knew he didn’t need any more damage up there. His eyes met Riley’s, before he turned to look back at Kevin.

“Why’d we stop?”

“Take a look. The whole damn road’s flooded out.”

“At least the rain’s letting up.” The pattering had become less intense, something none of them had really noticed until that very moment.

“Any other way to go?”

“Mostly highways, and they’ll probably be a bigger mess than the side roads.”

Nick climbed out of the vehicle, his gun in hand. He glanced around, just looking for anything that might be easily missed on a map. The water splashed around him as he walked forward. The rain continued to pitter-patter in a light sprinkle; it was so muggy that it actually felt nice, like a warm shower. There were a few overturned vehicles around, wrecks of twisted metal, and others with open doors that had been long ago abandoned. No signs of life – or, thankfully, the undead – could be heard, even as he looked out in the distance at the many Cypress trees surrounding them.

He started to turn around, feeling disappointed, until he saw the sign.

Honey Island Swamp Boat Tours - Straight Ahead.

Nick glanced at his two companions and simply smiled.

“You guys feel like sailing again?”

***

They were sitting in one of the air boats they’d found at the dock of the tour station. The silence around them was unnatural and set Nick on edge. He’d grown so used to the incessant moaning that the lack of it was disturbing.

Kevin was driving this time, another sign of the problem that none of them wanted to mention aloud. Before, it would have been Nick at the wheel, having had the most boating experience. Once again, he didn’t comment on it and just pretended to take it in stride without a word.

The waters of the Pearl River were brown, murky, and calm. Every once in awhile, he would see a sign of life. It was the most they’d seen in months. A snake, big enough to wrap around his body and suffocate him if it wanted, could be seen slithering sneakily along in the water. He watched, fascinated by the wildlife he had imagined would be gone.

“Nick?”

He turned back towards Riley, who had stepped up beside him. His arm wrapped around her, and he pointed down at the snake as it continued on its way. The light was fading; even with the clouds scattering slightly, not much sunlight broke through into the swamplands. The vast amount of trees provided a natural covering and felt like shelter.

“Look…”

“So some things have survived. Like us. They haven’t killed everything.”

Their boat made a turn, following a bend in the river. As if on cue, they passed an alligator, overturned on its back and clearly dead. A festival of bugs could be seen feasting on the rotten flesh of its underbelly. The jaw was partly open, and caught within it was the body of a zombie, the skull broken from the powerful teeth of the deceased animal. A rush of pity passed through Nick.

“I wonder what killed it.”

“Who knows?” He paused for a moment. “Maybe it was the zombie – looks like it was trying to eat it. I’ve been wondering if anything could, ya know? Ain’t like we’ve had a chance to test that.”

She nodded, as she pulled away to lean closer to the edge for a better look. “So when it tried to kill it, it signed its own death warrant.” A sigh followed.

An owl hooted from above, casting its own note on the feeling in the air. Nick glanced around again as the rain began to pick up once more. He sighed. Unlike his girlfriend, he didn’t like the rain at all. It just made their journey more difficult. He walked over to where he had left the brochure he’d taken from the tour building. It sat on top of the many duffel bags they had carried with them. Who knew when they’d be able to run for supplies again? He scanned through it with a bored feeling. He’d always gotten bored easily. It took a lot of effort for him to stay focused; his attention tended to wander, naturally and without warning.

“Hey guys, did you know there’s supposed to be a swamp monster here? And… dude! The thing looks like Bigfoot! That’s fucking awesome!”

“Nick, don’t you think we have enough problems without you wishing for other horror monsters to be real?” Kevin said dryly.

“Aww, come on, you can’t say it wouldn’t be neat to see it if it existed.”

“The undead have probably eaten it by now.”

“Killjoy.”

“No, just realistic.”

A scream shattered their conversation, as Nick turned to see Riley. Riley, who’d been leaning over to look at something, was getting grabbed at forcefully by a rotting arm that had risen out of the river. She struggled to stay on the boat, unable to grab her gun without risking being dragged into the murky water. The zombie, like others that they encountered in the swamp, was bloated up immensely. Its decayed skin flapped away as it moaned to reveal black, putrefying flesh. A maggot slithered out of a gap between its snaggled teeth.

“I’m coming, Rye!” Nick’s shout was drowned out by moans, as more zombies rose out of the river, attracted by her scream. He heard gunshots coming from Kevin’s end of the boat, as well.

Despite how many times they had found themselves in danger, Nick’s heart felt like it stopped whenever it was Riley whose life was at risk. He reached for his gun and ran forward, trying to hit the ghoul without hitting her. The tug-of-war continued over her arm. As she teetered dangerously over the edge, he fired the shot.

To his surprise, the zombie exploded upon impact. Blood sprayed through the air like a liquid firework and splattered the both of them immediately. Rotted meat, bugs, and bone flew everywhere. Gasping, Riley fell back on the floor of the boat, covered in the remains of the zombie, but otherwise unscathed.

Nick brushed what he could of the remains off himself, swallowing back his own bile. Riley was unable to do the same. She ran back towards the edge of the boat, just in time to expel the contents of her stomach in a rainbow fountain of digested food. He stayed with her, rubbing her back in circles until she was done. She pulled away from the railing immediately and settled into his arms. They were both still covered with decomposed innards, but he didn’t care.

“What the fuck?” Nick asked suddenly, seeing movement over her shoulder. He pulled away in time to watch Kevin shoot the zombie that had risen. The reaction was the same as before: it burst like a water balloon. What was left of the undead man rained down around them. This time, the three of them ducked in response.

Now, Nick welcomed the rain that poured from the sky.

***