the side of Dave’s head and wrapped around it.
“You didn’t say you were married,” Trudy said.
“Trudy, honey,” Dave said, pulling the shirt away from his face. “Things are happening fast for all of us…”
This line seemed like a cue because the sound of gunshots came from the south of us. I jerked my head in that direction and saw small flashes off in the distance.
“Times up,” I said. “We have to start moving.”
A pair of high-top sneakers came out the door of the RV and skittered across the pavement toward Dave. He stood with his arms out, looking pathetic.
More gunshots came our way and I saw car headlights breaking away from the endless line of cars south of us. Some bounced along in the backcountry and disappeared into the night. Some stopped abruptly in what I could only imagine were crashes with trees, boulders, or ditches. Another car sped along the shoulder, more off the road than on it, and canted at dangerous angle. I saw silhouettes jumping out of the way and barely making it. The sound of metal on metal broke through the oncoming chaos as one of the cars heading up the road clipped the back end of an over-sized pickup truck. The car jumped in the air and flipped over, spilling people and the contents of the car onto the road and the backcountry scrub. Screaming joined the gunshots now.
There was only one thing that could cause that sort of panic and that was zombies.
“What’s going on?” Rosalita said.
“The zombies have caught up with the back of the traffic jam,” I said. “We have to get moving.”
“Should we take one of the vehicles?” Randell said.
Another car broke from the pack behind us and started speeding up the shoulder. It made it about a hundred yards before its back tires lost their purchase on the loose packed soil and spun out of control, smashing into the back of another car. A car horn blared into the chaos.
“I think it’s too dangerous to try to drive out of this,” I said. “We only have a few miles before we get to the border.”
“How are we getting across the bridge if the soldier’s won’t let us cross?” Sammy asked.
“We’ll cross that figurative and literal bridge when we get to it,” I said. “Now, let’s move!”
Huck, Jane, and Jay didn’t need any more convincing and started up the road. Sammy and Rosalita joined them as did Randell and Carla. That left Joni, the kids, and Dave. They stood locked in indecision. Dave looked like he wanted to head back to RV and take his chances there but the door slammed on the side of it cutting off the light.
“It looks like we’re headed north,” he said and started trudging that way.
Joni and the kids fell in behind him and I took up the rear. We passed by the other vehicles on the road as passengers craned their heads out the windows and look southward. Some looked afraid while others had excited looks in their eyes after the boredom of sitting for two days on the road. They had no idea what was coming their way. I could only guess they hadn’t seen the zombies up-close and personal like we had.
Some called to us, asking questions, as we passed by on the shoulder, but I ignored them. The gunshots intensified. We had to start making better time or else the tidal wave that was coming our way would sweep over us.
We passed by a cornfield when I heard a buzzing from behind us. The buzzing quickly transitioned into a motorized roar and we were forced to duck in between cars as two dirt bikes shot by us heading north at a reckless speed.
“What the hell?” Dave said.
“They’re just trying to get ahead of the shit storm coming our way,” I said.
“How do you know that zombies are coming?” he asked.
“Trust him,” Joni said, “they’re coming.”
“Mom, I’m scared,” Martin said.
“Don’t be a wus,” Dave said.
“Don’t talk to him that way,” Joni said.
“He’s my son and I’ll talk to him anyway I want,” Dave said.
“Hey!” I said. “We don’t have time for family
“You didn’t say you were married,” Trudy said.
“Trudy, honey,” Dave said, pulling the shirt away from his face. “Things are happening fast for all of us…”
This line seemed like a cue because the sound of gunshots came from the south of us. I jerked my head in that direction and saw small flashes off in the distance.
“Times up,” I said. “We have to start moving.”
A pair of high-top sneakers came out the door of the RV and skittered across the pavement toward Dave. He stood with his arms out, looking pathetic.
More gunshots came our way and I saw car headlights breaking away from the endless line of cars south of us. Some bounced along in the backcountry and disappeared into the night. Some stopped abruptly in what I could only imagine were crashes with trees, boulders, or ditches. Another car sped along the shoulder, more off the road than on it, and canted at dangerous angle. I saw silhouettes jumping out of the way and barely making it. The sound of metal on metal broke through the oncoming chaos as one of the cars heading up the road clipped the back end of an over-sized pickup truck. The car jumped in the air and flipped over, spilling people and the contents of the car onto the road and the backcountry scrub. Screaming joined the gunshots now.
There was only one thing that could cause that sort of panic and that was zombies.
“What’s going on?” Rosalita said.
“The zombies have caught up with the back of the traffic jam,” I said. “We have to get moving.”
“Should we take one of the vehicles?” Randell said.
Another car broke from the pack behind us and started speeding up the shoulder. It made it about a hundred yards before its back tires lost their purchase on the loose packed soil and spun out of control, smashing into the back of another car. A car horn blared into the chaos.
“I think it’s too dangerous to try to drive out of this,” I said. “We only have a few miles before we get to the border.”
“How are we getting across the bridge if the soldier’s won’t let us cross?” Sammy asked.
“We’ll cross that figurative and literal bridge when we get to it,” I said. “Now, let’s move!”
Huck, Jane, and Jay didn’t need any more convincing and started up the road. Sammy and Rosalita joined them as did Randell and Carla. That left Joni, the kids, and Dave. They stood locked in indecision. Dave looked like he wanted to head back to RV and take his chances there but the door slammed on the side of it cutting off the light.
“It looks like we’re headed north,” he said and started trudging that way.
Joni and the kids fell in behind him and I took up the rear. We passed by the other vehicles on the road as passengers craned their heads out the windows and look southward. Some looked afraid while others had excited looks in their eyes after the boredom of sitting for two days on the road. They had no idea what was coming their way. I could only guess they hadn’t seen the zombies up-close and personal like we had.
Some called to us, asking questions, as we passed by on the shoulder, but I ignored them. The gunshots intensified. We had to start making better time or else the tidal wave that was coming our way would sweep over us.
We passed by a cornfield when I heard a buzzing from behind us. The buzzing quickly transitioned into a motorized roar and we were forced to duck in between cars as two dirt bikes shot by us heading north at a reckless speed.
“What the hell?” Dave said.
“They’re just trying to get ahead of the shit storm coming our way,” I said.
“How do you know that zombies are coming?” he asked.
“Trust him,” Joni said, “they’re coming.”
“Mom, I’m scared,” Martin said.
“Don’t be a wus,” Dave said.
“Don’t talk to him that way,” Joni said.
“He’s my son and I’ll talk to him anyway I want,” Dave said.
“Hey!” I said. “We don’t have time for family
Similar Books
