Chapter 29: Beware the Rising Tide
Quinn looked around for Chambers. She saw his deputy hat on the ground next to the picnic table. Annie was rushing Chambers into the car with the help of Warren. Jackson, the dog, jumped in the car and they took off for the hospital before Quinn could get up and over to them.
She stopped at the picnic table and caught her breath. Some people fled in their cars right away, others followed her and were now asking what they should do. Quinn could give two shits about these people, her friends had just ditched her. What was she going to say to these strangers?
Just then she heard a familiar voice. Samuel had seen everything unfold from the oil refinery, ran over, and was now the one talking, telling the people what to do. Tyrell came over too and examined the arm Quinn had pulled from the bay. The people scattered to follow Samuel's directions, some collecting things, picking up heavy objects like the lifeguard tower and picnic table. Others got in their cars and drove away, alarming the rest of the safe zone. When Quinn saw them driving some of the cars into the water along with the heavy objects, she asked Samuel what they were doing.
“We’re going to barricade them into the oil leak,” Samuel explained.
“THEM!” Quinn could only focus on the one word. “There’s more than one!”
“Don’t panic, but there’s probably an entire horde down there from the mainland.”
“My God, Samuel!” Quinn panicked, “I thought we were safe here!”
“Listen, we can still make it. You just have to do what I say. Are you ready for this Quinn? Like we’re back in the city. We can do this.”
“Okay, okay, I’m here. I’m with you,” Quinn focused, “What do you need me to do?”
“Take my car a go to the marina. Tell Marcus and Atticus what happened, and that we want to go with them now. If that doesn’t work find another boat to get ready. Tyrell and I will finish up here and get to the hospital. Get going, save whoever you can and don’t leave without us!”
“Got it,” Quinn repeated to herself what to do as she got in the car.
“And Quinn!” Samuel yelled out, “That last part is the most important, don’t forget it.”
“I won’t.”
“Don’t leave without us.”
“WE WON’T!” yelled Quinn as she drove off in Samuel’s car.
Tyrell signaled to him that the barricade was working. Samuel caught up with Tyrell watching the water zombies get caught up in the oil, but it didn’t stop them. Samuel and Tyrell had to think of something.
“And quick, I have to get to the hospital.”
“You go. I got this,” Tyrell told him.
Samuel didn’t waste time arguing and took Tyrell’s car to the hospital, leaving Tyrell without a vehicle. Driving down the safe zone reminded him of what he saw when they were flying over the country in the Warbird before the frontline. People abandoning their homes, gathering supplies frantically, leaving in droves of boats, the word was out. The OBX Safe Zone was no longer safe.
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At the hospital, Annie and Warren carried Chambers inside to see Rebecca.
“It’s the fever.”
“Was he even bit?”
“No, it was- it’s complicated…” Rebecca trailed off.
“What?”
Rebecca looked worried, but slightly more than that, guilty as if, Annie suspected. Rebecca looked back over at Annie sternly, “I did this to him when we put the eyeball back in.”
“What?” Annie gasped.
“Oh, right, you weren’t with us for that.”
Chambers moaned and clutched his head.
“We have to restrain him,” Annie insisted.
“This is Chambers we’re talking about,” Rebecca reasoned, “It’s been weeks since Manhattan, perhaps he’s beaten the virus.”
“Rebecca, you can’t be serious!”
“It’s the only thing close to a shot at the cure we’ve been able to come up with since this all started.”
Annie looked at Rebecca with her mouth hanging up, “Doctor Pratt you’re scaring me.”
“It was a shot in the dark, Rebecca,” said Samuel as he walked in with Warren.
“Samuel!”
“We need to get out of here. The dead are coming ashore. The beach is holding but who knows for how long. It is only a matter of time before they’re everywhere.”
“What!?”
“The zombies can swim?” asked Warren.
“How are we going to leave?”
“Samuel-”
“Oh my god, they burned the bridges!”
“He’s got the fever, Samuel,” Rebecca blurted out.
Samuel exchanged professional glances with Rebecca as they both silently examined Chambers laid out in the room. He wasn’tt moving anymore. All at once they started reacting. Rebecca gave him CPR and Samuel got the paddles warmed up. The monitors flat-lined.
“CLEAR!” Samuel shocked Chambers awake.
Everyone backed up. Chambers opened his eyes and looked around. They still hadn’t tied his hands down. He took off the eye-patch and could see both of his hands. Annie put her hand over her mouth and Rebecca cried out uncontrollably. Chambers wanted to ask them why they stared at him, but he knew. He wanted to do a lot of things. He wanted to find Amy Quinn and kiss her before he died. He wanted to live and love forever the dark cynic that he was. Chambers Khan would never get to do any of these things because although his eye came back to life he was far from it.
Chambers tried to reassure them. I’m okay was what he would have said. Instead, the rotten hindrance took his I’s and his lips went numb, resilient to what his brain demanded. Mo was all he could do. But it came out more like a mu. And then it took him. In that fleeting moment of transcendence, when the walls of mortal life came crashing down, Chambers Khan did not realize the secret of life like he had always thought he would. Chambers realized nothing because his brain was dead and all that was left was an infectious echo working his remains. Muuuagh! Chambers made his first zombie screech, tearing his vocal chords to shreds, as he lunged for Rebecca’s juicy neck, knocking over Samuel, who stood in between them.