Jesse locked up the brakes, and the Volvo came to a stop. The SUV had slammed into the concrete barrier and smashed the front end in before rolling several times. The speed they were traveling sent the vehicle several hundred feet down the road, leaving a debris trail behind it.
Mikel was out of the car before it had fully stopped and was sprinting to the SUV. Seth, Jesse, Stevie, and Becka were close behind. When he got there, the front was a mangled mess. The car was resting on the concrete with two wheels on the ground and two wheels up in the air. The driver’s door was crushed in and barely recognizable. The passenger side roof had peeled back, leaving Sal exposed. Byron was calling out from the back seat, as were Julie and Polly. Sal was not responding but appeared to be breathing.
No signs of Trisha yet. They couldn’t get to her part of the vehicle. Seth and Mikel undid Sal’s seatbelt and lowered him to the ground. Jesse, Stevie, and Becka carried him off the road to the grass nearby. Seth climbed into the cabin and checked on everyone. The people in the back seat were mostly okay. Polly had an injured arm, and Byron had a cut on his forehead. Julie and little H seemed okay.
Trisha was wedged in the driver’s seat. The steering wheel was pressed into her chest, and one of the door support beams had broken free of the door and pierced her shoulder. It was buried in her, though impossible to judge how deeply. Seth felt for a pulse and was met with blood pumping out from a cut just above her collarbone. It was deep and had nicked a major artery. With each beat of her heart, a significant amount of blood would spurt out onto the dashboard. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was shallow. Seth tried to stop the bleeding, but by the time he got a cloth to press against the cut, she was gone.
Mikel had forced the back hatch open and was pulling the baggage out, tossing it onto the highway. Once the back compartment was cleared, he helped the three remaining passengers out through the back. Byron ran to Sal and administered to him, coming back a few minutes later with a positive update.
“That man is built like a tank. He has a slight concussion, but I think that’s it.”
Meanwhile, Jesse was busy finding another vehicle for them. After searching through several that were randomly parked along the highway, she found the perfect ride. Parked with all four doors open and a dead battery was a full-sized Range Rover. She pulled the Volvo up and jumped the battery. Popping the trunk open, she found a small militia’s storage of weapons and ammunition. It also had plenty of room for the remaining crew.
Mikel was with her a moment later.
“So, do you want to drive the Rover or the Volvo?” He asked.
“Definitely the Volvo. It’s got my darts in it. Plus, I like the way the driver’s seat matches my butt so well.”
“Okay. I’ll drive the Rover. Should be fun. Think we need to clean the blood out of it first?” He pointed at the bloody handprints on the driver’s side windows.
“Why not.” She answered, tossing him a container of wipes.
“Thanks.”
#
Sal was coming around, feeling the knob on his head. The last three days had been a little much for him. He’d lost several friends. A few were close. He sat on the curb and thought about Holly and Maggie. The two were some of his favorites. He’d even had a fling with Holly for a time a few years back. Since this started, he hadn’t had time to think about anything but moving forward.
Now, he couldn’t get her image out of his mind. Her awful, blood-soaked, dead face with its lips peeled back in an accusatory sneer. He didn’t want that to be the last image of her. Try as he might, there wasn’t another image available. Her naked body had the same horrible face with blood dripping down onto her near-perfect features, making even his most personal, precious memories tainted with horror.
He stood and walked towards the SUV and was stopped by Julie halfway across the road.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Don’t.” She warned.
“Who?”
“Trisha.”
Sal nodded and turned around. He walked a few feet before dropping to his knees, emotion finally getting the better of him. His tears flowed freely as he fell into his grief.
“Why God? If ever you actually cared, you don’t care now. Fuck this Black Plague that’s been unleashed upon us. We have tried to survive. We have come together and tried so hard. Our friends, our families, our new family, it’s all for nothing, and it’s all because you don’t give a damn about us. God Damn You.” He finished with a sob that echoed in the hearts of all who surrounded him.
They were broken, scared, tired, and, ultimately, alone. The world had changed and left the human race behind, or so it seemed. Polly stood by, watching as Sal, then Byron, Seth, Becka, and Stevie all succumbed to their grief. Only she and Julie hadn’t cried, and she wasn’t sure why Julie remained so positive.
“I know this is hard and will get much, much harder as we move forward. There will be more loss, and there will be moments when we will have to make choices that feel impossible. We will make it through. We will endure everything that’s thrown at us because we are who we are and because we have absolutely no other choice. We have more than just us to worry about now. We have Hope. We have a little baby girl who is going to grow up in a safe world and help lead the next generation of us to a better society. I’ve decided that the little girl’s name is Hope. No more little H. She is the Hope we need to keep trying, to keep us going. We can’t give up, no matter how hard. I know I’m new here, but I’ve never met a group of friends who are so willing to help each other without question. I want to be a part of that, and am thankful to be welcomed so warmly. Now get your butts up, and let’s go camping.”
Julie just stared at Polly for a moment, then started to clap. Becka hugged Polly tightly just as Byron wrapped them both up and lifted them into the air. At that moment, Mikel and Jesse pulled up in the Volvo and the replacement vehicle.
“Who ordered the Uber? I tried to pronounce the name but couldn’t. Pretty sure it was Sukadik, but I’m not sure.”
The group was regaining their composure, and some laughter lightened the mood. It was desperately needed, as was the breakdown that preceded it. Seth, Mikel, and Becka loaded the gear from the road and the SUV into the Range Rover. Within ten minutes, the crew was back on the road, Jesse driving the Volvo, Mikel driving the Rover.
#
Behind a dark cloud of smoke to the East, a tarnished, pale sun rose to a hostile, unwelcoming land. Abandoned vehicles littered the road, leaving travel painfully slow. In the hours after the accident, the survivors were able to travel just over 100 miles. They were solidly in Wisconsin now and were hoping to make it to Eagle River by the end of the day.
Mikel was tired. He was ready for coffee, a stretch, and to fill the car with fuel. Jesse had called a few minutes before and asked if he could make it another 40 miles to a drop she knew. She said it held an emergency refuel depot. He wondered how much more intel she had access to than he knew about.
As they drove on, Byron woke from what seemed to be a nightmare in the front passenger seat. He sat up and searched around him frantically for a moment before regaining his senses.
“Thank God. I just dreamed there were giant spiders crawling up from the back seat. Wolves, I can handle. Spiders? Just end it, man. Fuck that.”
“Na, I got a can of Raid. We’re good.” Mikel smiled. “We’re stopping in about half an hour. Not sure about amenities, but they have gas and maybe some other supplies that we won’t be able to get anywhere else. Plus, and you’ll just love this bit, Jesse and I have some stories to share with the group. We thought we’d wait till we got there to set the mood all good and proper for you.”
“Intriguing. Should I be nervous? You haven’t been feeding us hardcore hallucinogenics or something like that, have you? Or are you finally going to admit that it was you that shit in the sink all those times?”
“No, and no. I always thought it was Glenn. Figured he got coked up and used the sink to help flush out his constipation.”
“Hmm. Didn’t think about that. Fuck that nasty ass. Hate that he died on me, though. Shit way to go.” Byron didn’t catch the irony.
“Haha, was it?”
“What?”
“Shit?”
“Oh. No. Fuck off.”
“Be quiet up there. People are trying to ignore you back here.” Julie complained, sounding barely awake and fully pissed.
“Sorry.” Mikel and Byron crowed in unison.
The road cleared ahead of them, and the crew were able to travel faster. Soon, they were hitting speeds of 75 mph. Wisconsin was flashing by the windows as they made good progress. Half an hour later, they were at the drop location.
Jesse took point in the Volvo. She was still the only person awake in the car. The lane on the other side was a dirt road that was barely used. It had mostly grown over and was in rough shape. The passengers were bounced and tossed around, causing much grumbling and commotion. Mikel’s vehicle handled the ruts much better, but the passengers were still woken up by the bumps.
Ahead was an old barn that looked to be out of commission. Jesse parked out front and walked to the side entrance. Stevie followed her and watched as a small keypad extended from the wooden barn door. Jesse keyed in a code and pressed her hand to a scanner. The door opened with a hiss, and she walked inside, followed a moment later by Stevie.