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When I woke the RV was still and filled with silence. I sat up, instantly on edge and concerned. I remained quiet and listened intently, hoping to at least hear the voices of my companions. After several seconds, I swung my legs out from under the blanket and onto the floor. I gingerly stood, making sure I wasn’t dizzy from my concussion. Making my way to the front of the motorhome, I noted that full daylight crept in through the windows. I walked toward the sink in the small kitchen area and turned the cold water on. It squealed for a moment and produced a weak stream. Using my hands, I cupped the water and drank lightly.
“Use it sparingly,” came a voice from behind me, startling me.
I turned the faucet off and turned around to find Mike at the open door.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, not getting a good read on the man’s current mood or state of mind.
“Outside stretching. If you want to head out and get some air, now’s a good time.”
“Where are we?”
“Somewhere east of Olympia. Roads aren’t too bad, thankfully. Oddly there’s not many cars on the road.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Uh. Maybe an hour. You’d have to ask Ellis. He’s the one who’s been sitting watching you sleep. He’s behind the RV taking a piss.”
I didn’t like this crude man.
He stepped farther into the vehicle and toward the front seats. We looked at each other, without speaking, for an uncomfortable moment. Finally, I turned and walked to the door. As I stepped down, one foot on the top step and the other still inside, Mike spoke words that chilled my spine.
“They come first, Hazel and Ellis. They’ll always come first. If you ever risk their lives again I’ll kill you myself.”
I forced myself to take the final two steps without looking back. I didn’t want him to see any weakness in me. I turned to my right to find the others. They were both leaning against the back bumper, Ellis with his arm around his sister. She was visibly tired with bags under her eyes. She’d taken her long brown hair out of its ponytail and had swept it to one side. They only took notice of me when I cleared my throat.
“Poppy,” Ellis greeted me.
“Mike said we’re east of Olympia?” I asked.
“Yeah. Still trying to figure out a good place to settle down for a few hours and try to figure out our next step. We need to find the most direct route to our family camp since gas is limited.”
Hazel shrugged out of Ellis’ arm and walked to me. I was surprised when she hugged me gently.
“Mind if I use the bed for a bit?” she asked.
“No, of course not. Go ahead.”
“Thanks,” she said as she walked back to the motorhome.
“Feeling any better?” Ellis asked.
“My head feels better.”
“You should try to eat something. There’s crackers and jam in the kitchen cabinets. Just don’t eat too many. We need to ration.”
“I shouldn’t. It’s your food, and if Mike sees me he’ll shit himself.”
He stood upright and stretched. “There’s enough for now, and as far as I’m concerned you’re a part of this messed up family now. I’ll deal with Mike.”
I was a bit taken aback by his words. My expression must have showed as much.
“It’s not like we’re going to leave you at the side of the road,” he said.
“Mike would.”
“Mike can be a jerk. He’ll get over it. Just keep clear of him as much as possible.
I looked down at my feet and nodded. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
“Hazel and Mike are going to sleep for a bit. Want to ride up front with me?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Let’s head back in, then,” he said.
“Can I have a couple minutes?” I asked.
“Yeah. Stay close to the RV, and just be quick. Please.” he added.
He turned and walked back to the motorhome. Once he was out of sight, I walked to the edge of the gravel road. Shadows were long, and it smelled dank and lightly of decomposing plant matter. I looked up at the sky. The canopy of trees only opened enough to see directly above. The chill of morning was gone and by the feel of it the day would be hot. I found a tree that was large enough to pee behind, and quickly took care of my private needs. As I was fastening my pants, my skin turned cold and the hairs on my arms stood on end. I froze out of rudimentary fear. A twig snapped behind me, and I whipped around.
“Hey there,” said a man wearing camouflage and a fluorescent yellow safety vest. He held a rifle at his side and wore at least two days’ worth of dirt. “That your RV?” he asked.
“N..n..no,” I said, surprised by the man’s appearance and reluctant to answer any questions.
“Nuh, nuh, no?” he repeated, mocking me.
“It’s not mine.”
“Pretty girl like you shouldn’t be out here all alone,” he said after spitting chew on the ground not far from me.
“I’m not alone,” I said, truly grateful that it was true.
“It sure looks like you’re alone,” he said as a creepy smile spread across his face. His teeth were yellow and his several-inch-long dark-brown-and-gray beard was glistening with spit where his chew-drool had landed. I watched in horror as he began to unbuckle his belt.
I took a step backward until my back was against the fir tree behind me. The man sneered.
“There’s nowhere to go, Sugar” he said quietly. “Run off into the woods? Those monsters will eat you. Best just stay put and I’ll take real good care of you,” he said with a stern look. “I’ll make you feel really good too,” he sneered.
“Stay away,” I said, my words barely audible.
He finished with his belt and began working at his button-fly.
“C’mon now baby, you’ll like it,” he said.
I cleared my throat, summoning courage. “Not likely.”
He stepped forward, his fly now undone, and his pants pulled down toward his thighs. I didn’t try to run. I didn’t scream. Instead, I forced myself to stand tall and look him in the eyes as he came to within arm’s reach of me.
“That’s a good girl,” he said.
I kept my hands in fists at my side and remained silent until he reached up to touch my face.
“You know you have a small dick, right?” I said as his palm touched my cheek.
He instantly looked infuriated and drew his hand back, swinging it forward. His fist met my left jaw, knocking me off balance. In trying to right myself, my ankle rolled, and I went down hard, my elbow landing painfully on something sharp. The man stepped over me, looking angry and ready to seriously hurt me. I took advantage of his position and his bare genitals hanging out. I kicked upward with my uninjured foot. The impact sent him reeling, and as soon as he could draw a deep enough breath he screamed in agony. Taking advantage of his distraction, I scooted back and away from him. As I struggled to stand, Hazel grabbed me from behind and helped me upright. At the same time, Ellis walked toward the man with his pistol raised.
“Hazel, get Mike,” he said. “Tell him to bring his gun. Keep yours handy, too.”
I didn’t look back at Hazel but heard her walk away. I hadn’t heard either of them approach.
The man I’d kicked in the crotch still looked pained, but he stood tall and kept a hand on the rifle at his side, his pants still down past his hips. Ellis kept his pistol aimed at the man.
“Poppy, did this mother fucker hurt you?” Ellis asked me.
“He punched me in the face,” I exclaimed, breathlessly. “And tried to rape me.”
“Son of a bitch,” Ellis said under his breath. “What the fuck do you think gives you the right to put your hands on a woman?”
“I didn’t know she was yours,” said the man.
“She’s not mine, she’s her own person,” said Ellis with venom in his voice.
“Understood,” the man said. “I’ll just be on my way, then.”
“Hold it right there,” said Mike, followed by the cocking of a gun.
The man stopped. I looked to my right to find Mike standing with his feet apart, his gun also trained on the stranger.
“What’s going on, Ellis?” he asked.
“He put his hands on Poppy. Knocked her in the face.”
“That true?” asked Mike, addressing the man.
“I didn’t mean any harm,” the man insisted.
“Did this man touch you?” asked Mike, addressing me directly.
“He did. He hit me and tried to force himself on me.” My heart was pounding, adrenaline pulsing through my veins.
“Hazel go back to the RV with her,” Mike instructed.
I didn’t move a muscle.
“Goddammit, I said go back to the RV!” yelled Mike, causing me to flinch. I turned and took a step toward the motorhome but didn’t make it far. My ankle was twisted worse than I thought.
“My ankle’s messed up,” I admitted.
“Ellis, get her inside. I’ll deal with this cocksucker.”
“Seriously. I’ll just be on my way,” said the man.
“Shut the fuck up!” snapped Mike.
“Put your rifle on the ground,” said Ellis, who now stood beside me.
“Just get her inside. She doesn’t need to see this,” insisted Mike.
“Hang onto my arm,” Ellis whispered to me.
“What’s he going to do?” I asked.
“Mike’s got it, don’t worry,” was all he said.
As he helped me hobble back to the RV, we heard Mike shout “stop!” It was followed by two gunshots. I stopped, my core going numb. Ellis lifted me off the ground and hustled with me back to the RV. Mike was on our heels, and as soon as we got inside Mike engaged the lock.
“What happened?” asked Hazel.
“He tried to shoot me,” was all Mike said in reply.
“We need to leave,” said Ellis as he sat me down. “The gunfire might attract others.”
“I’ll drive,” offered Hazel.
“Better get the fucking lead out,” exclaimed Mike, his voice traveling from the back of the vehicle.
“What’s up?” asked Ellis.
“There’s infected coming our way.”
“There’s a couple in front of us, too,” said Hazel as she ducked down into the driver’s seat. “Hold on.”
The engine revved to life and the RV lurched forward. I held onto the small table and lowered myself onto the bench seat. I looked at Ellis, who met my gaze. He looked like he had enough adrenaline in his system to last the rest of the day. The coach lurched when it impacted with something.
“Hazel, what was that?” asked Ellis.
“One of the infected. I had no choice. I had to hit it.”
“You’re doing fine,” said Mike. “Just get us back to the highway without crashing or rolling it.”
“Working on it,” she said as we bumped along at what felt like an unsafe speed.
Ellis took a seat across from me. He reached over the table and took one of my hands in his.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Your jaw’s swelling.”
“Yeah, I bet.” I looked down at his hand on mine.
“I’m sorry I left you alone out there.”
I looked up. “I’m not helpless.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, turning a bit red in the face.
“I know. I did get him in the nuts pretty good.” I forced a smile.
“I think we all heard his reaction.” He winked at me, squeezed my hand, and stood. “I need to go talk to Hazel.”
I nodded but didn’t say anymore. I wanted to curl up somewhere and cry, but knew I’d look weak. In light of everything going on, looking weak seemed unwise. I watched as Ellis took a seat up front with his sister. My attention turned to Mike, who sat down across from me. He ignored me while he unfolded a map and smoothed it on the table surface.
“Here,” he said, startling me.
I looked up questioningly and he pointed to a location on the map.
“We’re here. We need to find shelter. There’s not much around but I know there used to be a run-down house about a mile up. It’s off the road maybe a quarter mile. Think we should try for it?” he asked.
“Why are you asking me?” I asked, my speech slightly distorted from my swelling jaw.
The man shrugged. His eyes were dark brown, and I wondered what secrets they hid. Unlike his best friend, Mike wore his hair shaved as close to his scalp as he could. His skin was darker, but I couldn’t quite place his ethnicity.
“I guess it depends on how run down you mean,” I answered honestly. “If the structure’s shit then what’s the point? There’d be no safety.”
He grinned, making him appear even more menacing. “Bingo. So what kind of place should we be looking for?”
“Concrete. Maybe brick. Maybe somewhere not completely isolated. You know, hide in plain sight?”
“Good answers. Except for hiding in plain sight. Too dangerous with the infected out there.”
I didn’t respond. The roughness of the gravel road gave way to smooth pavement signaling our return to the highway. We drove in silence for at least a mile before Hazel pulled to the shoulder and slowed to a stop.
“Michael, we have a roadblock,” said Ellis as he left the passenger seat to join us at the small table.
Hazel cut the engine and made her way to the table. I scooted over for her to sit beside me. Everyone else looked as tired as I felt.
“What’s out there?” asked Mike.
“Looks like a pile-up. Three cars and a school bus on its side,” explained Hazel.
“We can push the cars out of our way, but the bus is an issue,” continued Ellis.
“Should we turn around?” I asked, trying to be useful in some manner.
“I think so,” said Mike. “We should head north and try for this building here.”
“What is it?” asked Hazel.
“Looks like a fish hatchery. Probably trout or salmon. Chances are there’s not many people there, not much traffic, and usually they have some kind of building for staff to work in,” he continued.
“It might work,” said Ellis.
“Let’s get to it, then,” said Hazel.
“You okay to keep driving?” asked Mike.
“I’ll be fine, as long as I can sleep later.”
“I slept for a while,” I said. “I can drive.”
“Do you know how to handle a big rig?” asked Ellis.
“Yeah. I used to drive a delivery truck for my dad.”
“Ellis, why don’t you sit up front with her and navigate,” suggested Mike. “Hazel, go ahead and get some sleep. We’ll wake you when we get there.”
“Are you sure you feel up to it?” Ellis asked me.
“Yeah. It’d be a good distraction.”
“Okay, I’ll sleep,” said Hazel with a yawn. “Wake me if there’s any trouble.”
I slid out from the bench seat and stood, my right leg buckling from my sprained ankle. “Mother fucker,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Your ankle?” asked Mike.
“Yeah.”
“You can’t use the gas pedal like that, so no driving for now,” added Ellis.
“El, I’ll get us started. I know where the turn off is. Maybe help her wrap it and use one of the ice packs from the first aid kit,” said Mike. “The sooner she heals the better. We can’t afford to be slowed down.”
His tone was snarky and made me skin crawl. I was glad when he turned around and walked to the front seat.
“Hey,” said Ellis. “Ignore him. The only thing he’s right about is that we need to wrap that ankle. You should ice and elevate it, too.”
“Sure,” I said bleakly.
“Do me a favor and stand there for a minute? I’ll fold the table down to make a bed and get you taken care of.”
“Thanks.”
I watched as he removed the table top and flipped it over, creating a platform for the removable seat-backs. He tossed a backpack in the middle of the small bed.
“Go ahead and sit against the seat back. You can elevate your leg on the backpack. I’ll grab the first aid kit.”
I hobbled the short distance to the makeshift bed and sat down. It didn’t take long to scoot my butt back and position myself. I reached down and grabbed the backpack; carefully lifting my injured leg, I maneuvered the pack underneath my calf. Ellis joined me, setting a small silver-colored toolbox in front of him and next to my hip.
“Want to take your shoe and sock off or want me to?” he asked me.
I genuinely pouted. “It’s gonna stink,” I grumbled.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, likely just being polite.
I pulled my leg toward me and began working at my shoelace. I could see my ankle was considerably more swollen than it had been even fifteen minutes before.
“Doing okay?” Ellis asked.
“So far,” I said with a wince. Finishing loosening the laces, I attempted to pull my sneaker off. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, so I clenched my teeth and breathed slowly to cope.
“Easy, let me help,” said Ellis.
I leaned back and watched as he stabilized my ankle and pulled off my shoe. I tensed while the pain peaked, and he patiently waited for me.
“It’s swollen but I don’t think it’s broken.”
He looked down at my ankle and half-smiled without saying anything. My toenails had a coat of sunrise kiss polish that was horribly chipped. Karly had picked the color. My thoughts wandered to her, and I did my best to force them from my mind. The RV began to sway as Mike turned it around on the highway.
“What’s up with the tattoo?” he asked.
The top of my foot was inked with a cherry blossom branch in shades of brown with pink flowers.
“My favorite flower,” I groaned.
“Cherry blossoms?”
“Yeah. They look like cotton or snow kinda just hanging in the air.”
“Huh.”
He reached into the toolbox and pulled out a wide ACE wrap. He gently started to roll it onto my lower shin and wound it around my ankle, and eventually wrapped all of my foot except for my toes. It was snug, but made my ankle feel better. He finished it off with a metal fastener.
“So, not poppies?” he asked.
“What?” I asked.
“On your foot. For your name.”
I chuckled. “No. Not poppies.”
He handed me a small ice pack.
“Mind activating this one?”
I took it and squeezed until it made a pop, then kneaded at it for a few seconds. Ellis also had one but was struggling to break the inner bag that would set off a chemical reaction. I held mine out for him.
“Here, I’ll trade you.”
We switched packs and after several attempts at squeezing the packet, I gave up and twisted it instead. Once it was thoroughly mixed, I handed it back to him. He used a piece of long gauze to tie the two cold packs to each side of my ankle.
“Michael, want me to drive?” he called up to his friend.
“Nah,” the man called back. “It’s not much farther.”
Ellis neatly organized the first aid kit before shutting the lid. He tucked it underneath the bed where it would be out of the way. I wiggled my toes to make sure my circulation was okay and watched as he sat mirroring me against the other backrest.
“So, what’s your story?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“The three of you,” I clarified. “You’re all siblings?”
He sighed and looked deep in thought.
“It’s complicated. Hazel and I are step brother and sister. Mike’s her actual half-brother, but not mine. We’ve been best friends since I can remember, though. And Hazel and I grew up together, so we don’t even think of ourselves as steps.”
“What about you? Do you have family?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. Both my parents are living in Idaho. They retired a few years ago and moved to Boise.”
“Any siblings?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m an only child.”
“I was supposed to be there for Labor Day. In Boise, I mean...”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. My car broke down. So, Karly and I headed to the store for a late-night grocery run. We watched two sick people die right there in the aisle. We were headed home when...” my voice trailed off.
“When the accident happened?”
I nodded before changing the subject. “I do have a cousin I’m close with. Mary. She’s two years older than me and funny as shit. She lives in New York with her fiancé Alec.”
“Head’s up, people,” said Mike loudly, interrupting our conversation.
Ellis stood immediately.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We’ve got company. A truck is headed this way....and stopping.”
“Shit,” mumbled Ellis.
“I’m stopping, but let me go out alone,” said Mike.
He brought the RV to a stop and shut the engine off. He left his seat and made his way to where Ellis stood, and handed him the keys.
“Just in case it goes down bad.”
Mike tucked his pistol into the back of his jeans waistband and nodded once to Ellis before he exited the vehicle. The motorhome was hot inside, and that only grew more intense once the engine was shut off. Even with the front windows down, the air inside didn’t circulate. Ellis knelt on the bed beside me and carefully reached over me to lift the small window upward. It offered little relief, but we were able to hear voices from outside.
“What’s going on?” whispered Hazel, startling me. I hadn’t heard her approach us.
“Mike’s pulled over to talk to some people,” I whispered back.
“Want me to head out?” she asked, addressing Ellis.
“Not unless Mike signals for us. Best they not know how many we are. At least not yet.”
The voices outside grew panicked. Ellis crouched and did his best to peek out the front windshield while staying concealed. A baby began crying, and a woman began pleading. Mike’s voice was loud and clear over the commotion.
“Keep her back!”
“She’s okay, really! We just need help,” boomed an unfamiliar man’s voice.
“Where’d the blood come from?” I could hear alarm in Mike’s voice.
“She just got hurt in a crowd. That’s all,” said the man.
“We can’t help, sorry.”
“Please!” screamed the woman. “Please just help us! We have nowhere to go!”
The baby continued to wail, the cry unnaturally high pitched and already grating on my nerves.
I looked between Ellis and Hazel, who were looking at each other.
“I’m going out,” said Ellis. “Hazel grab your gun and come with?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever’s going on out there it doesn’t sound good.”
“They could be contagious,” I mentioned. “Best not to get too close.”
“She’s right,” agreed Hazel.
Ellis tossed the keys my way. “Keep these out of sight.”
As the brother and sister stepped down from the motorhome, I lifted my leg off the backpack and scooted toward the edge of the bed. I stood on my good leg, holding on to the counter that was only a step away. I tucked the keys into my jeans pocket and hopped my way to the exit door. Too curious to stay inside, I eased my way down the steps and watched from the doorway.
The man we’d heard was older. He had a scraggly gray and yellow beard and wore a black skull cap on his head. He looked like he was straight out of a motorcycle gang, complete with chaps and a leather jacket. The woman was younger, maybe by twenty years. Her shirt and part of her skirt were soaked in blood. She held a small baby in her arms, who continued to wail.
“Easy,” said Ellis. “Whatever is happening is contagious. We just can’t risk getting infected.”
“We’ll die out here,” the woman cried.
“The road’s blocked ahead,” added Mike. “I suggest you turn around and try to find shelter.”
“We won’t make it that far,” said the man in an angry tone. “Running on fumes and the baby’s hungry. Her crying is going to attract these goddamn monsters.” He glared at the younger woman.
“Is that her mom?” asked Hazel.
“She is.”
“What’s the blood from?” she asked him.
“One of them attacked me,” the woman sobbed.
“Shut up Meredith! Shut your goddamn mouth!” scolded her older companion.
“Easy now,” said Ellis. “There’s no need to yell at her.”
“That’s my business,” scowled the man.
“What’s the baby’s name?” I called out, hoping to remind everyone that a baby was involved.
“Doesn’t matter, she’s good as dead,” said the man.
The woman fell into near-hysterics. “Den don’t say that! God don’t say that!” she wailed.
The man, Den, walked closer to the woman and drew his arm back, quickly swinging it forward and slapped her across the face. She was knocked off balance but clung to her baby and managed to stay her ground.
“Fuck, man, don’t do that!” yelled Mike.
“Fuck the fuck off,” said the angry man.
Fresh blood flowed from the woman’s nose. I gripped a metal bar that ran alongside the stairs and tensed.
“She’s bleeding from her nose,” I said.
The mother fell to her knees, still clutching the bundle in her arms. Her angry friend drew a gun from a holster at his hip and aimed it at her. Before any of us could react, he cocked the pistol and shot her in the head.
My ears ringing, I screamed. The woman fell backward as the babe in her arms spilled out of her arms and onto the asphalt. Mike and Ellis both sprang into action, drawing their own weapons and aiming at the man. He held his hands up, his pistol still in his grip, and drew thin lips into a terrifying taut smile. For a moment, I expected him to start laughing. Instead, he relaxed his smile and put his own gun to his temple and squeezed the trigger. Blood and brain matter splattered toward the fallen woman and the baby on the ground who continued to cry shrilly. Den’s dead body slumped to the ground.
“Oh shit. Shit shit shit,” chanted Hazel.
Mike leaned over, hands on his knees, and breathed deeply.
Hazel moved quickly to the baby’s side and knelt.
“Don’t touch it!” yelled Ellis.
Hazel looked back. “We can’t leave it!”
I used the side of the motorhome to stabilize myself while I hobbled toward her.
“Hazel, it might be contagious. Let’s take it slow, okay?” I said.
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”
She gently inspected the wriggling bundle, careful to only touch the swaddling blanket. As she peeled the cloth back, she recoiled and fell onto her butt. She leaned over and vomited violently.
“What is it?” I asked as I reached her side.
“It’s not alive,” she moaned.
“It’s moving,” I said, not understanding.
“Yeah but it’s not alive, either.”
Ellis and Mike both arrived at our side at the same time. Hazel turned away while I reached forward and uncovered the baby. It was human - or had been. Her skin was gray and black, and she was naked under the blanket. Her umbilical cord was still fresh, at least relatively so. Dark purple lines spread from the base of the cord outward. Dark hair was plastered to her skull. Her tiny body moved in unnatural undulations and quick jerks, and she turned her head toward us. Her small mouth was still plump and smacked irregularly. A horrid stench emanated from her. It burned my nose and throat. The baby opened her eyes, which were shriveled and clouded over.
“Back up,” said Mike.
Hazel scooted away on her own, and Ellis lifted me under the arms to help steady me. He walked backward, pulling me with him. Mike raised his pistol and fired a single bullet into the dead baby’s head. The shrill wailing stopped. The overbearing scent of rotten meat and feces began to mingle with that of a sickly-sweet odor.
