CHAPTER 37

The Stand

Kate hit one deep rut, and it sent her and her small passengers flying up to hit the ceiling of the car. The kids screamed.

“Sorry,” she said.

Can’t see anything, she thought, even with the lights on.

She looked in the mirror and saw the other car behind her, the nameless woman with three kids.

The total: eight.

Eight saved.

But how many had been lost before this?

And how much of that… back there… had these kids seen?

The human monsters selecting a kid, taking it away from the others.

Screaming. Kicking.

And then—in that moment of distraction—she saw two men ahead.

Right in front of the rocky path to the road, guns raised.

Kate’s gun was beside her, on the floor of the car near the door.

No way she could manage steering the car and grabbing the gun and—

And with their guns raised, one of the men raised a hand signaling for her to halt.

But there was no way she would do that.

No way at all.

She yelled.

“Kids. Get down! Low as you can. On the floor. Do it!”

Making her voice as stern as possible.

She couldn’t get her gun, and with two barrels aimed right at the car, the men figured she would have to stop.

Her attempt to rescue the children, to end the horror of their cannibalism, would be over.

But it was a situation where there was no choice about what to do.

No trees hugged the rocky path, just scrubby brush that scraped at the car’s sides like fingers as it bounced past.

What Kate did next she didn’t have any idea what it might do.

But she slammed her foot down hard on the accelerator.

She could hear the wheels instantly screaming, even with the windows shut.

In the mirror, she couldn’t see any of the kids.

But she could hear them.

Their cries constant as now, in addition to making the car fly over the ruts so fast, she cut the steering wheel hard to the right, then to the left.

Even while she heard the shots blasting from the men’s guns…

*

“Simon…” Christie said, her voice close to her son’s right ear.

She could feel the warmth of his sleeping body, on the floor, but he had found a small, square throw pillow.

“Simon, you have to get up.”

His eyes opened so slowly, reluctantly.

“Hmmm?” he said.

Christie forced a smile.

“Simon, we need to get everyone outside, Everyone who can…”

The words sounded absurd.

“…shoot. They think… some Can Heads are coming.”

Keeping her smile on as she lied.

“Just want all the help we can get. Just in case.”

But she thought she saw in Simon’s eyes… an awareness.

That she wasn’t telling the truth.

Smiles or no smiles.

And when he didn’t move…

“Come on, Simon. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Those words betraying her fear.

But those words brought a nod.

The house had turned noisy, chaotic with the sound of others being awakened, the frenzied shouts of people grabbing guns, asking questions, of…

Panic.

That’s what this is, Christie thought.

Simon stood up, yawned.

He grabbed his gun.

“Safety’s…?” she started.

“On. Sure, Mom.”

And he followed his mother, still looking half asleep, out to the cold morning light.

*

Kate jerked the car one way, then the other. She heard the kids rattle around both beside her and in the back.

And with one yank, she thought she’d send the car rolling over, spinning out of control.

But all the while doing these crazy turns, she heard the gunfire.

She heard one bullet crash into the back windshield, then another to a side window.

Then, she felt a thump.

Someone who had been trying to stop her had been hit, and hard.

She gripped the steering wheel so tightly her hand ached.

And now thinking that the other person shooting would now be behind her, she stopped the erratic turns and still—with her foot flat on the accelerator, all the way down—she steered the car straight down to the road.

“Stay down,” she said loudly, just in case any of the screaming, crying kids were tempted to sit up.

The car rocketed toward the road.

And when she hit the pavement, she made a sharp a turn to get onto the road, and she thought she felt the car’s right wheels fly off the ground.

The tires’ screams matching the sounds from inside the car.

A quick glance to the mirror, the other car still behind her.

And Kate thought, We’re away.

We did it.

We’re safe!

*

Christie pulled the still sleepy Simon to the outer circle of cars, finding her spot next to the woman, Anna.

“Thought you might not come back,” Anna said.

Christie smiled.

“My son’s a good shot. Isn’t that right, Simon?”

Simon nodded.

Then the woman asked a question that Christie wished she hadn’t.

“How much ammunition do you have?”

Christie nodded.

“I have… what’s in the rifle. Then nearly a full box. What is that?”

“Twenty,” the woman said.

Okay. So that was how many shots Christie had.

“And your boy?”

Christie put a hand on his head.

“Simon?”

Then, like he was digging for some treasured toy, Simon stuck a hand into each pocket and pulled out shells.

“The gun’s loaded,” he said. “And I got…”

He counted.

He counted.

“Another ten… eleven.”

The woman didn’t say anything.

But now they all knew exactly how many times they could fire their weapons.

“See anything yet?” Christie asked.

“No. Looks like nothing out there.”

Then Simon spoke, “Maybe they’ve gone somewhere else.”

And not believing her words, Christie said, “Maybe.”

Which is when someone standing on the back of a pickup truck yelled, “Here they come!”

The words cutting through the night.

Then, “Get ready. Everyone… get ready.”

And before Christie turned to look at the approaching horde, she pulled Simon close.

Pulled him so tight as she planted a kiss on the top of his head.

“I love you.”

And with Simon holding her as well, he answered, “Love you too, Mom.”

Held for but seconds—then she released him, and turned back to the wall made by the car.

And now, she could also see them coming.