Part Seven

Janice rubbed her face, and her hand came away slick with blood. The world rolled around her in a rapid blur, and she couldn’t find the strength to stand up. She saw legs running toward her, and Gordon rolled her over onto her back, shouting at her soundlessly.

The ceiling above them was torn open. The night sky was filled with a thick black smoke. She raised her hand to touch the back of her head, where she felt a huge lump. Her hair was slick with blood, but she tried to push aside the concern she had for herself. She rolled her head to the side, moaning softly when she found Mary.

A section of girder landed on the table. Mary had fallen sideways out of the bench before the girder struck and crushed her lower body. Her lips and the floor in front of her were covered in blood, and her face was locked in an expression of agony.

Gordon and Frank lifted her up, and through her rolling vision, she managed to sort out that she hadn’t broken any limbs. She was simply overwhelmed by vertigo and a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something terribly important.

The spinning sensation began to diminish as they made their way over the pile of rubble to look around the parking lot. The vehicles left in the lot were unharmed, but the shopping center had been hit by what looked like multiple explosions. Frank pointed at something and Gordon turned, presenting her with a wide panoramic view of the explosions ripping through downtown Houston.

Through the glowing orange haze, she saw tiny black dots falling from the sky and she raised her head, moving her hand to direct Frank’s attention up. She looked at him and tried to read his lips, shaking her head slowly.

Both men left after moving her to back bench in the van. They returned with the kids, and Gordon got in to drive while Frank set a bag of medical supplies down to start cleaning and dressing the wounds on Janice’s head.

For a long time the vehicle swayed around while it turned or stopped, and all Janice could do was stare up at the ceiling while she tried to sort her mind out. She wasn’t sure exactly when her hearing returned, because the interior of the van was completely silent. The van’s engine hummed softly, and it sounded so much like the low hum she’d been listening to that it took her a while to adjust.

When she sat up, she found an unfamiliar boy who looked to be about twelve. He watched her sit up with a concerned expression and shook his head. “You should stay down for now.”

“I’m all right,” Janice said. She slid off of the back bench and crawled between the two seats. On her right, Scott gave her a tiny nod before she turned her head to look at the girl huddled in Robin’s lap. “Hi.”

The girl waved her hand, but she didn’t say anything. Instead it was the boy who spoke first. “Claire doesn’t say much. I didn’t even know her name until Robin got her to talk. I’m not sure if she’s shy or if she stopped talking after the zombies showed up.”

“And you are?”

“I’m Fred.”

“Janice.” She sat down and looked at Frank. “So what are we doing?”

“Trying to find a route to meet up with the captain’s team. We’ve had to keep off the highway to avoid making detours around some major potholes.” Frank turned in his seat. “How do you feel? You took a pretty nasty thump when the bomb hit. If you’d been standing ten feet over, it would have been more than a ceiling tile landing on your head.”

“That’s what I’ve been having trouble remembering. I remembered seeing you and Gordon standing with Scott, and … and then it’s a blank until I saw Mary.” Janice frowned. “They didn’t see…”

“Yes, I’m afraid they did,” Frank said. “I guess you missed Claire’s screaming fit.”

“I guess,” Janice muttered. “So what will we do if we can’t find the soldiers?”

Frank shrugged, turning to look out the window just as the van passed an RV park. “Hey.” He straightened in his seat. “Hey, pull over.”

Gordon did, glancing back at the RV’s. “I don’t know. They suck a lot of gas.”

“We can steal gas.” Frank grinned. “We can weld on some armor plating and ride in a stylish, well furnished tank.”

“We can do it in the next town, but I’m not driving back through Houston again,” Gordon said

“I agree,” Janice added.

“I’m agreeing too,” Frank said and turned to look out the window. “You should start driving again.”

“Yeah, I was-” Gordon saw the zombies flooding out of the RV park to run at the van and he floored the accelerator. “May I suggest that we don’t check another RV park for a while?”

***

Frank stepped out of the van and looked around the rest stop. The two armored Humvees were parked by the restrooms, but none of the men were outside. Frank turned to watch the side door open, and he shook his head when Robin got out. “Stay-”

“Do you really think arguing with me will work?” she cut him off and started walking to the restrooms.

Frank fell into step beside her. “Hey, just because it’s harder to get splattered doesn’t mean we can’t be vastly outnumbered.”

“We’re already are-” Robin covered her mouth then turned to bury her face in Frank’s chest.  Frank closed his arm around her and looked into the men’s restroom. The floor was coated in blood, and around the edge of the partition, he saw an arm. Passing Robin to Gordon as he walked up, Frank stepped slowly around the partition. His expression fell into a look dismay when he found the arm wasn’t attached to a body. Glancing around the room, he couldn’t find any torsos which were left whole, and there were limbs scattered randomly in between the piles of internal organs.

All along the walls, he found bullet holes and splatters of a thin white paste. The scene played itself out in his head slowly as he looked around the room. The men had taken refuge in the restroom, and the horde had moved in, attacking with a maddened frenzy over the loss of their leader. The men had used up the last of their ammo and were torn apart in seconds.

Shaking his head, he walked outside and began scuffing his feet on the ground with every step to clean the blood off of the soles. He looked around and leaned his head to the side, walking faster as he crossed the grass.

Stopping at the edge of the crater before he grimaced Frank turning around to stare at Gordon and Robin walking toward him. “Nobody told them there was going to be a bombing run. They still tried to wait for us, and a horde rolled right over the top of them.”

“Frank, we should go,” Gordon said.

“Where are we going to go?” Frank pointed at the crater. “If they’re bombing Houston, you can be sure they’re bombing San Antonio as well.”

“Yes, but they may still consider using nukes, and we need to get further away from the city.” Gordon gestured back at the van. “We can’t stay here. Please, think of explaining to them why they have to stay in the van.”

Frank nodded. “All right. We’ll drive for another two hours, but then we’re going to find a house to borrow for the night.”

They got back into the van, and the interior was again dreadfully quiet for a long time. Claire finally broke the silence. “What happened to the army men?”

Frank glanced back at her, his expression troubled as he tried to think of what to say. Robin was faster to find an explanation. “Something bad,” she whimpered.

***

Gordon stepped out on the front porch of the house, searching the yard for signs of trouble while he walked to the swinging bench hung on the far right side of the porch. Sitting down, he dug his pack of cigarettes from his chest pocket and took one out.

Though he was exhausted from fatigue, his sense of anxiety still could not be abated enough for him to sleep. He’d already made a number of patrols both in and around the house,  and each time it seemed to confirm they were alone, and they were safe. Yet he continued to worry, because the house was empty.

The screen door creaked open, and Janice looked around before she saw him and walked over to the bench to sit down. She was silent, and it seemed to him that she spent as much time searching the yard as he did.

He flicked he cigarette away, and when he looked back at Janice, he saw he staring down at a gold ring on her finger. “I guess you lost your husband in Dallas.”

“Hmm?” Janice turned toward him, but she looked as though she hadn’t quite understood the question at first. Her eyes flicked down to the ring and she smiled weakly. “No, not to the zombies. I lost my husband six months ago to an internet girlfriend.”

“Ah.” Gordon looked around uncomfortably.

“I do still miss him, but I was just thinking how for once, I’m glad that he was cheating on me.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s safe in Florida somewhere. Maybe he’s still a jerk, but he’s alive.” She smiled at Gordon. “When the zombies took over our building and tossed me into one of the cells, I was using that one thought to keep myself from breaking down. At least my no good cheating husband will still get to live.” She laughed bitterly, looking away from Gordon to wipe her eyes. “I’d lost all hope for myself, and then you showed up. The odds were completely against us, but you didn’t lose hope.”

“I’m afraid I may have lost hope now.”

Janice leaned on his side and nodded. “I know. Maybe it isn’t something that I can give back to you-” She felt Gordon sit up and she looked up at him, laughing quietly as she shook her head. “No, I’m not trying to come on to you, so relax and just listen.

“While everyone else was running away, you ran into the fight, and you gave hope to Frank to keep him in the fight. You gave hope to me, and that’s why I followed you to Houston even if I still couldn’t believe we had a chance to accomplish anything.”

“What did we accomplish? The city is still destroyed, isn’t it? Dallas is still gone as well.”

“Yes, but you’re skipping a few details. We got close enough in Dallas to wound the leader. He drew back and sent in a lieutenant to take over Houston, and we killed him. You can list all the ways we’ve still failed, but if you hadn’t made the decision to start fighting back, no one else would have. Frank I would have both died in Dallas and become part of the zombie army. Maybe you would have too. Instead, we’re still alive, and there’s going to be another chance to end this. You gave us that chance Gordon, because you gave us back our hope.”

Gordon watched her quietly before he closed his arm around her. “You know. It’s a funny thing, but I could have sworn I was following you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After I’d gone through a list of everyone I’d lost in Dallas, you were the only person that I know who’s left. I needed something familiar to hold onto, or I would have lost hope right after we left for Washington.” He smiled at her. “So I gave you hope, and you’ve returned it. I suppose that makes us even.”

“Maybe.” Janice looked up at Gordon and took his hand. “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay, good night.”

Janice smiled. “Would you like to come with me?”

Gordon stared at her quietly, and her expression told him she didn’t intend it as a romantic gesture. She was simply lonely and desperate for some form of contact. He nodded and stood up with her, and she held his hand while she led him back to the bedroom.

***

Robin got out of the shower, drying her hair with a towel while she looked at herself in the reflection. She knew she didn’t quite look bad, but her features where made somewhat shocking for their monotone appearance. Aside from the tiny shock of color provided by her brows and lashes, her face and eyes were all one consistent shade. Robin started to dry the rest of herself off and laughed at a stray though. “But I’d be great at hiding in Alaska. Of course, I would be in Texas, where snow and blue moons are both rare sights.”

Getting dressed, she walked through the dark house, checking each room to make sure everyone was safe before she went to the front porch to sit down beside Frank. She leaned on his side and raised her head to watch the stars quietly. The fires in Houston were little more than a faint orange light on the horizon, and the sky was obscured in the east by a thick column of black smoke.

“Do you think we sleep?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t felt tired yet.”

“Me either. I am starting to feel a little hungry though. I’m not looking forward to that.”

“It may be an acquired taste,” she agreed with a note of disdain in her voice.

“We don’t laugh.”

“We can’t cry either.”

“Yeah, and we can’t… um,” Frank stammered and looked away from Robin’s perplexed expression. “Actually, there’s a lot things we can’t do now.”

Robin smirked at him. “You were thinking of something perverted, weren’t you?”

“Well yes, but not with you.” Frank grimaced at her pout, even if he saw that it was fake immediately. “Hey, don’t get me wrong. You’re pretty, even for dead girl. But you’re…”

“Please, continue.”

“If you keep this up, I’m going to figure out how to smoke cigarettes again,” Frank threatened.

“Go ahead,” Robin said. “I don’t need to worry about second hand smoke anymore.”

Frank stared down at her and started to lean over. She raised her face to him, and then they both turned at the sound of the screen door opening. Claire pouted at them while she rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. “Can I come sit with you?”

Robin nodded and scooted away from Frank. “Did you have bad dream?”

“Yeah.” Claire moved to sit down between them and leaned on Robin’s side. “My mom was dragged away. I hid, but the zombies kept finding me.”

“The zombies won’t find you out here,” Robin said. “Even if they could find us, Frank and I don’t sleep.” She began to pat the back of the girl’s hair down. “Close your eyes and try to rest, okay?”

“Okay.”

Several minutes passed before Frank glanced down at Claire, who had fallen asleep in Robin’s arms.  “Do you want me to carry her in?” he asked.

“No, I don’t mind having her here.” She smirked at him wryly. “You don’t mind, do you Frank?”

He dropped his head . “Damned if I do…”

“Ah, cheer up. After the kids have grown up and we’re all alone again, we’ll have plenty of time for diversions.”

“Robin, you might not want to get too attached to the kids. We don’t have a habit of keeping people safe for very long.”

“We’ve kept Scott alive.”

“No, Scott has kept Scott alive. In fact, Scott was doing his part to save Mary as well.”

“There are any number of things that could go wrong every day. Tomorrow a plane could drop a bomb on our heads and kill us all.” Robin shook her head slowly. “Just be quiet and let me enjoy this.”

Frank nodded and looked back up at the sky. “Would you like to make breakfast for everyone tomorrow?”

Robin smiled. “Sure.” She turned at the soft sound of a kitten mewling at the door. “Hush.”

Frank waited, and for a long time there was silence. The next soft cry came from a different kitten, which caused his sister to start crying as well. “Who knew dead people would be so popular with kids?”

“We’d better go inside before all of the kids will be coming out to lay in our laps.”

“We could tell them a bed time story,” Frank commented as he leaned over to scoop up Claire in his arms.

Robin stood up and went to the door, leaning over to scoop up the fluffy white ball of fur as she opened the screen door. “Yes, we can tell them about Frank and Robin, the friendly zombies.”

“Hey, if the world doesn’t end, we could use that for a children’s story.”

Shaking her head, Robin turned to shut the front door. She stopped and instead stood watching the fading orange light in the east while she patted the top of the kitten’s head.

Frank stepped behind her, and she leaned back as he closed his arms around her stomach. “Frank?”

“Yes?”

“I know it’s very long odds on this happening, but supposing that there is a way to stop the leader, what do you think will happen to us?”

“I really don’t know. If were aren’t sliced apart in some kind of medical experiment, it’s hard to say how long we can live like this. Before I can even worry about that, I’ve got to clear a whole lot of hurdles, not the least of which is stopping an army of the undead while trying to dodge falling bombs.” Frank shook his head. “It’s too much to think about all at once. For now, we’re better off taking life by the hour. Even out here, we could be-”

“I know. I’m tired of thinking about them.”

“Come on. Maybe we can’t sleep, but we’ll lay down and close our eyes to pretend.” Frank stepped back and took her arm, drawing her upstairs to a room.

Robin laid down and settled in beside Frank, resting her back against his chest. The kitten squirmed out of her hand and climbed over her to lay down on Frank’s hip, and she watched it in the darkened room, smiling when it began to knead its claws through his pants.

“If I could laugh, I would,” she said.

“If I could sigh, I would,” Frank said, dropping his hand to pet the kitten. “Good night Robin.”

“Good night Frank.” She laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes as a smile thinned her pale lips. “Good night Janice, and Gordon, and Fred, and Claire, and-”

“John boy,” Frank cut her off.

“Who?”

Frank shook his head. “Never mind. It was before your time.”

“Oh…” Robin laid her head down again. “Good night, world… I hope to see you again tomorrow.”

The End?