house, Rachel was momentarily dismayed to
see the vehicle that sat under a large shade tree.
The car was an ancient and battered Ford LTD. Rachel didn’t
even recognize it, having been a small child when Ford ceased production of the
model. There was more rust than paint and the rear bumper was missing, but the
glass was all intact and clean, all four tires looking to be in decent shape
and fully aired up. Quickly unlocking the door, Rachel put the girls in the
back seat then she and Dog piled into the front. The engine started easily and
settled into a smooth idle. A glance at the dash showed a full tank of gas.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Rachel shifted into drive and headed down the
gravel driveway to the road.
16
Rachel nosed the big Ford around the gas station, letting it
idle down the gravel drive. To her left she could see a couple of males
stumbling along, zeroing in on the rumble of the big V8 engine and crunch of
the tires on the gravel. Stopping at the edge of the pavement, she looked
around but didn’t see any other infected.
“Lindsey, do you know how to get to a big highway, like the
Interstate?” Rachel asked the older girl, hoping she had paid attention when
her parents drove.
“Turn right.” Madison answered, sounding absolutely certain
with her directions. Smiling, Rachel turned the wheel and accelerated onto the
asphalt. Having never owned an American car, Rachel was surprised at how well
the old sedan still drove. She couldn’t help but continue to smile as she
pushed the car up to 50 miles an hour, the throaty rumble making her feel
powerful, unlike the buzzy four cylinder Japanese engine in her hybrid.
The road was perfectly flat and straight as an arrow except
when it occasionally made two routine, consecutive, opposite direction ninety
degree turns to adjust for the corner of a new rice paddy. After the second
set of turns she had to keep her speed down to steer around infected males that
were stumbling across the pavement, alerted to her presence by the rumbling
exhaust.
The girls were quiet as she drove and Dog stuck his head out
the open window, enjoying the wind. Rachel was starting to relax a notch,
growing more confident with the power of the car under her control. After a
few more miles they reached a three way intersection, the road they were on
continuing straight ahead, a larger road heading ninety degrees to her left.
Braking to a stop, Rachel looked at the faded signs posted on a pipe that leaned
drunkenly in the weeds. Straight ahead was West Memphis, five miles away. To their
left, the new road was state highway 18. There was no indication where it led,
but Rachel was sure she didn’t want to go anywhere near Memphis, or West
Memphis, or anything Memphis. She turned left.
“You should have gone straight.” Lindsey spoke up from the
back seat.
“We’re not going anywhere near Memphis, honey. It’s full of
monsters.” Rachel said, meeting Lindsey’s eyes in the rear view mirror. The
girl stared back at her for a moment before nodding and looking out the side
window.
The new road was slightly wider, having an actual yellow
line painted down the middle of it, but soft dirt came right to the edge of the
pavement on either side and the asphalt was barely wide enough to turn the big
car around if needed. Driving off onto the shoulder was almost a certain
recipe for getting stuck. Rachel’s tension level raised a couple of degrees as
she thought about this, her foot backing off the accelerator until their speed
slowed to 30.
Rachel slowed for an upcoming ninety degree jog in the road,
glancing over at the open window Dog was enjoying. She thought about reaching
across and rolling it up, but decided it wasn’t necessary. Nothing was coming
through that window with Dog sitting in the passenger seat. Negotiating the
right hand turn, Rachel drove for a hundred yards before having to turn ninety
degrees
see the vehicle that sat under a large shade tree.
The car was an ancient and battered Ford LTD. Rachel didn’t
even recognize it, having been a small child when Ford ceased production of the
model. There was more rust than paint and the rear bumper was missing, but the
glass was all intact and clean, all four tires looking to be in decent shape
and fully aired up. Quickly unlocking the door, Rachel put the girls in the
back seat then she and Dog piled into the front. The engine started easily and
settled into a smooth idle. A glance at the dash showed a full tank of gas.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Rachel shifted into drive and headed down the
gravel driveway to the road.
16
Rachel nosed the big Ford around the gas station, letting it
idle down the gravel drive. To her left she could see a couple of males
stumbling along, zeroing in on the rumble of the big V8 engine and crunch of
the tires on the gravel. Stopping at the edge of the pavement, she looked
around but didn’t see any other infected.
“Lindsey, do you know how to get to a big highway, like the
Interstate?” Rachel asked the older girl, hoping she had paid attention when
her parents drove.
“Turn right.” Madison answered, sounding absolutely certain
with her directions. Smiling, Rachel turned the wheel and accelerated onto the
asphalt. Having never owned an American car, Rachel was surprised at how well
the old sedan still drove. She couldn’t help but continue to smile as she
pushed the car up to 50 miles an hour, the throaty rumble making her feel
powerful, unlike the buzzy four cylinder Japanese engine in her hybrid.
The road was perfectly flat and straight as an arrow except
when it occasionally made two routine, consecutive, opposite direction ninety
degree turns to adjust for the corner of a new rice paddy. After the second
set of turns she had to keep her speed down to steer around infected males that
were stumbling across the pavement, alerted to her presence by the rumbling
exhaust.
The girls were quiet as she drove and Dog stuck his head out
the open window, enjoying the wind. Rachel was starting to relax a notch,
growing more confident with the power of the car under her control. After a
few more miles they reached a three way intersection, the road they were on
continuing straight ahead, a larger road heading ninety degrees to her left.
Braking to a stop, Rachel looked at the faded signs posted on a pipe that leaned
drunkenly in the weeds. Straight ahead was West Memphis, five miles away. To their
left, the new road was state highway 18. There was no indication where it led,
but Rachel was sure she didn’t want to go anywhere near Memphis, or West
Memphis, or anything Memphis. She turned left.
“You should have gone straight.” Lindsey spoke up from the
back seat.
“We’re not going anywhere near Memphis, honey. It’s full of
monsters.” Rachel said, meeting Lindsey’s eyes in the rear view mirror. The
girl stared back at her for a moment before nodding and looking out the side
window.
The new road was slightly wider, having an actual yellow
line painted down the middle of it, but soft dirt came right to the edge of the
pavement on either side and the asphalt was barely wide enough to turn the big
car around if needed. Driving off onto the shoulder was almost a certain
recipe for getting stuck. Rachel’s tension level raised a couple of degrees as
she thought about this, her foot backing off the accelerator until their speed
slowed to 30.
Rachel slowed for an upcoming ninety degree jog in the road,
glancing over at the open window Dog was enjoying. She thought about reaching
across and rolling it up, but decided it wasn’t necessary. Nothing was coming
through that window with Dog sitting in the passenger seat. Negotiating the
right hand turn, Rachel drove for a hundred yards before having to turn ninety
degrees
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