folks,” I said before anyone else could open their mouth. “I want at least two people to a vehicle. Maya, we’re going to have to leave your car behind. You’ll ride shotgun, literally, with Karl and Amy in his Range Rover.” Both of them protested loudly at that until I laid the spare pistol down on the table in front of Maya.
“Dave, it’ll be like World War Three with them in the same car,” Amy said. “Well, it’s true,” she told them off their looks.
“It won’t,” I said calmly. “In case anyone has missed the memo, the world is ending outside those doors. If we’re going to stay alive, you are going to have to work together. Our primary goal is survival. Nothing else matters but that. Karl, you’re driving. Maya, if anything needs shooting, you shoot it. Twice. Amy, your eyes need to be where your mom or dad aren’t looking. Our destination is our house. If we get separated, just make sure you end up there. Any questions?”
“Can I ride with you?” Amy asked me.
“No,” I answered flatly. “Maya calls the shots in the Range Rover. If she says do something, you do it.”
“It’s my truck, I think I should be the one in charge,” Karl said. I could see his chest puffing out as he got ready to assert himself.
“Maya is my partner, Karl. She knows the plan, where to go and what to do. You don’t. You and your truck are worthless without her on board. End of story.”
“No, it isn’t,” he said. “It’s your plan, but it’s my vehicle and my daughter. And I’m in charge in my vehicle. You’re going to have to deal with that.” He stepped forward again and tried the looming trick again. It still didn’t work.
“If your daughter’s survival takes a back seat to your pride, then you have no business coming with us anyway. You need to decide, right now, which one is more important to you, because we can survive without you.” I watched him to see which side of his brain he listened to. His lips pursed together, then he seemed to draw in on himself.
“Amy is the most important thing in the world to me,” he said after a few seconds. “I’ll listen to Maya.”
“I knew you wouldn’t let her down. Let’s get loaded up and hit the road.” I led everyone out the back door, and found Sherman trotting at my side. It only took us a minute to load the tubs up into the back of Karl’s truck. Personal bags were tossed on top of them, then I went to the bikes and started pulling them down. Porsche and Maya were at my side, pulling the other two down before I could ask for help, and we wheeled them out to Karl’s Range Rover. Maya knew what I was up to, but I wasn’t sure why Porsche had decided to pitch in. Still, it was a gift horse whose dentistry I wasn’t examining. Maya trotted back to the garage while I secured the bikes to the rack on the rear bumper, and came back with a pull behind child-carrier.
“You are brilliant,” I said softly as I jumped down to help her heft it into the back of his truck. We worked as quietly as we could, with no idea of when the infected would make their way here. Once everything was secure, we made our way to the side door of the garage.
“We’re ready,” Karl said with an edge of uncertainty to his voice. “We just need to move Maya’s car out of the driveway, and we can go.”
“Do you have everything from your car that you want, baby?” I asked her.
“It’ll just take me a few seconds to grab what I need to,” she said. I gave her a nod, and she walked to the door.
“We’ll go when you start your car. Amy, Karl, mount up. I’ll open the garage door.” My pulse started hammering in my ears as I sent Porsche to her truck. Sherman hopped in the back seat with Amy while Karl got behind the wheel. It was time to get moving. So help me, I was looking forward to getting back out there.
Chapter 8
Side Trips
Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.
~ Victor Hugo ~
By the time we made it to Sunshine Street, I
“Dave, it’ll be like World War Three with them in the same car,” Amy said. “Well, it’s true,” she told them off their looks.
“It won’t,” I said calmly. “In case anyone has missed the memo, the world is ending outside those doors. If we’re going to stay alive, you are going to have to work together. Our primary goal is survival. Nothing else matters but that. Karl, you’re driving. Maya, if anything needs shooting, you shoot it. Twice. Amy, your eyes need to be where your mom or dad aren’t looking. Our destination is our house. If we get separated, just make sure you end up there. Any questions?”
“Can I ride with you?” Amy asked me.
“No,” I answered flatly. “Maya calls the shots in the Range Rover. If she says do something, you do it.”
“It’s my truck, I think I should be the one in charge,” Karl said. I could see his chest puffing out as he got ready to assert himself.
“Maya is my partner, Karl. She knows the plan, where to go and what to do. You don’t. You and your truck are worthless without her on board. End of story.”
“No, it isn’t,” he said. “It’s your plan, but it’s my vehicle and my daughter. And I’m in charge in my vehicle. You’re going to have to deal with that.” He stepped forward again and tried the looming trick again. It still didn’t work.
“If your daughter’s survival takes a back seat to your pride, then you have no business coming with us anyway. You need to decide, right now, which one is more important to you, because we can survive without you.” I watched him to see which side of his brain he listened to. His lips pursed together, then he seemed to draw in on himself.
“Amy is the most important thing in the world to me,” he said after a few seconds. “I’ll listen to Maya.”
“I knew you wouldn’t let her down. Let’s get loaded up and hit the road.” I led everyone out the back door, and found Sherman trotting at my side. It only took us a minute to load the tubs up into the back of Karl’s truck. Personal bags were tossed on top of them, then I went to the bikes and started pulling them down. Porsche and Maya were at my side, pulling the other two down before I could ask for help, and we wheeled them out to Karl’s Range Rover. Maya knew what I was up to, but I wasn’t sure why Porsche had decided to pitch in. Still, it was a gift horse whose dentistry I wasn’t examining. Maya trotted back to the garage while I secured the bikes to the rack on the rear bumper, and came back with a pull behind child-carrier.
“You are brilliant,” I said softly as I jumped down to help her heft it into the back of his truck. We worked as quietly as we could, with no idea of when the infected would make their way here. Once everything was secure, we made our way to the side door of the garage.
“We’re ready,” Karl said with an edge of uncertainty to his voice. “We just need to move Maya’s car out of the driveway, and we can go.”
“Do you have everything from your car that you want, baby?” I asked her.
“It’ll just take me a few seconds to grab what I need to,” she said. I gave her a nod, and she walked to the door.
“We’ll go when you start your car. Amy, Karl, mount up. I’ll open the garage door.” My pulse started hammering in my ears as I sent Porsche to her truck. Sherman hopped in the back seat with Amy while Karl got behind the wheel. It was time to get moving. So help me, I was looking forward to getting back out there.
Chapter 8
Side Trips
Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.
~ Victor Hugo ~
By the time we made it to Sunshine Street, I
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