{"id":210,"date":"2013-07-21T13:13:22","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=210"},"modified":"2025-07-11T20:22:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T20:22:49","slug":"chapter-37","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 37"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 37<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been something of a loner.\u00a0 I guess that sounds weird, coming from someone who was married, who was surrounded by people at work every day, and who was liked by most of them.\u00a0 But it\u2019s true.\u00a0 I had friends, of course.\u00a0 I got along well with my colleagues.\u00a0 And I loved my husband.\u00a0 But at heart, I was always the shy girl, the private one, who kept to herself and enjoyed just being alone.<\/i><\/p>\n

At school, I taught my students about teamwork and cooperation and encouraged them to work in groups.\u00a0 I think I\u2019m a team player when I need to be, but the truth is, I always hated working in groups, relying on other people.\u00a0 I was the kind of person who would rather just do things by myself, for myself.\u00a0 I believed in myself.\u00a0 I was raised to be independent, and I was.\u00a0 I am.<\/i><\/p>\n

But there are just some times when it doesn\u2019t make sense to be alone, and ever since the day the undead rose, I\u2019ve been glad I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad that I\u2019m not.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think anyone could endure this life on their own.\u00a0 We need each other to survive.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t work together, we won\u2019t make it.\u00a0 Teamwork and cooperation are essential.<\/i><\/p>\n

The best decision I made that day was stopping to rescue a stranger.\u00a0 I could just as easily have kept on driving, at less risk to myself, but I know now that, aside from being selfish, even cruel, that would have been a huge mistake.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t picked him up, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be alive right now.\u00a0 I owe my life to him, but I don\u2019t consider it a debt:\u00a0 I\u2019m glad to owe him my life.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad he\u2019s in my life.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad I\u2019m not alone.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 15, 2012<\/b>
\n8:00 a.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

Never in her life had Gretchen picked up a hitchhiker, and if she\u2019d seen the man currently riding in her passenger seat standing by the side of the road, rather than trapped in a car surrounded by zombies, she almost certainly would have sped on by, perhaps even mistaken him for one of them<\/i>.\u00a0 It would have been an easy mistake to make, judging by the state he was in.<\/p>\n

It was only once the sun had come up that she\u2019d gotten a clear view of the man she\u2019d rescued.\u00a0 His navy blue windbreaker and plaid pajama bottoms were spattered with blood, and there was some on his face too.\u00a0 His eyes seemed sunken in dark circles, and the rest of his face was pale white.\u00a0 In the last few hours, this man had been through hell.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know details and wasn\u2019t sure she wanted to.\u00a0 The blood spoke for itself.<\/p>\n

His name was Brian Littrell, and he\u2019d come from Marietta.\u00a0 That was all she knew about him and all she needed to, for now.\u00a0 It was not enough to make her trust him, but she had no choice but to do so, and no reason not to.\u00a0 In the two hours they\u2019d been driving down I-75, they\u2019d seen no other living people, only scattered clusters of the undead on the outskirts of towns.\u00a0 Though he\u2019d been mostly quiet since she\u2019d picked him up, Gretchen was grateful to have someone with her, particularly a man.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t like to think of herself as the weak, damsel-in-distress type of woman, but she had to admit, Brian\u2019s presence reassured her.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t a big man \u2013 in fact, she was willing to bet she had a couple of pounds on him, herself \u2013 but there was a certain strength that seemed to radiate from him.\u00a0 Maybe it was the blood and sweat that stained his clothes and skin, but those were evidence enough:\u00a0 this man could fight.\u00a0 He had<\/i> fought, and she had no doubt that he would protect her, if it became necessary.<\/p>\n

If<\/i>.\u00a0 There were as many \u201cifs\u201d as there were \u201cwhys\u201d and \u201cwhat nows.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have a clue where they were going or what they were going to do.\u00a0 She just kept driving, hoping for a sign, a plan, anything to set their course.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t just drive forever, but she was afraid to stop, remembering the zombies\u2019 tendency to swarm around parked cars with live people inside.<\/p>\n

Up ahead was an overpass, on which two large, green road signs were mounted.\u00a0 The interstate split, one way veering east, the other continuing south.\u00a0 She cleared her throat and said, \u201cLooks like the road forks.\u00a0 Which way should we go\u2026 Savannah or Valdosta?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian had been so quiet until now, she didn\u2019t expect him to have a preference.\u00a0 Anticipating a shrug or a grunt in response, she prepared to stay left and head east, toward Savannah.\u00a0 It was the bigger city of the two and located on the coast, which seemed like it would give them more options and more chances to find other survivors than continuing south, through rural Georgia.<\/p>\n

But Brian cleared his throat and said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, I think we should keep heading south.\u201d\u00a0 When she glanced over at him, he added, \u201cI\u2019ve got a cousin in the Air Force.\u00a0 He\u2019s down in Tampa, at the MacDill base.\u00a0 He called me\u2026 Friday, I guess it was.\u00a0 Said the sickness had hit the base, but he was alright.\u00a0 Said they were wearing gas masks.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sick.\u00a0 He sounded fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you think there may be survivors there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he did shrug.\u00a0 \u201cNo way of knowing for sure, but it\u2019s worth a shot, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u00a0 It\u2019s as good a plan as any,\u201d said Gretchen, and she stayed in the right-hand lane.\u00a0 \u201cYou said your cousin called you\u2026\u00a0 I don\u2019t suppose you have a phone with a signal left now, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian shook his head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cNo signal since Saturday morning,\u201d he mumbled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd before then, no one answered anyway\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Still, he pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his windbreaker and checked.\u00a0 \u201cNothing,\u201d he sighed a second later and stowed it away.<\/p>\n

Gretchen sighed too, the spark of hope quickly dying.\u00a0 \u201cFigures.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been trying to get a hold of my husband.\u00a0 He used to be in the military himself, but now he works for the CDC in Atlanta.\u00a0 He got called up to USAMRIID at Fort Detrick in Maryland when this virus first hit.\u00a0 The last I heard from him was early yesterday morning\u2026\u00a0 He said he might come back, if they didn\u2019t get any closer to finding a treatment.\u00a0 I was supposed to wait for him at home.\u00a0 But then I woke up this morning, and there were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She trailed off.\u00a0 It still felt insane to say the word \u201czombies\u201d aloud, as if she were in the middle of some B movie shown late at night on the Sci-fi Channel.\u00a0 Brian knew what she meant, though, and nodded, making it okay to leave off there.\u00a0 She thought he might open up a little about his own experience, but he did not.\u00a0 It felt strange to be the one doing most of the talking; usually, Gretchen was known as the \u201cquiet one.\u201d\u00a0 But Brian, she sensed, was not just shy.<\/p>\n

He was haunted.<\/p>\n

Anxious to change the subject and spare him from whatever he must be going through inside his mind, she asked, \u201cSo\u2026 what do you do?\u00a0 For a living, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Brian paused, as if taken aback by the question.\u00a0 \u201cI teach music,\u201d he answered finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d she replied with interest.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a teacher, too.\u00a0 Third grade.\u00a0 What grades do you teach?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, junior high.\u00a0 Seventh- and eighth-graders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh wow\u2026 good for you.\u00a0 It takes a special kind to teach junior high; I could never do it.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy with the fifth-grade-and-under crowd.\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt must be great to teach music.\u00a0 Are you choral or band or both?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChoral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you sing?\u201d\u00a0 She looked over at him with interest.\u00a0 She felt relieved to know that, beneath the blood and shadows, he had to be a regular person, a good person, to do something as innocent as teach music to middle-schoolers.\u00a0 \u201cI like to sing, but not in front of anyone.\u00a0 I\u2019m not very good, and I\u2019m way too self-conscious about it,\u201d she babbled on, with a nervous laugh, eager to fill the silence now that they\u2019d started to talk.\u00a0 \u201cI do love music though\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian\u2019s only reply was a dull, \u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sensing he wasn\u2019t up for a conversation, Gretchen stopped talking after that.\u00a0 She turned up the volume on her car stereo a little and handed him her mp3 player.\u00a0 \u201cFeel free to browse,\u201d she offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you\u2019ve got is fine,\u201d mumbled Brian and returned the player to her cup holder.<\/p>\n

Gretchen nodded.\u00a0 With music to fill the silence between them, she drove on.<\/p>\n

It was outside of Macon, Georgia that they hit their first major roadblock \u2013 literally.\u00a0 Gretchen took her foot off the accelerator and slowed down as she pulled up to the scene of a traffic jam that clogged all four lanes of freeway, including the exit ramp, where she could see cars stalled bumper to bumper all the way down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat now?\u00a0 Should I turn around?\u201d she asked uncertainly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d be backtracking.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a small car; I bet we can squeeze through\u2026 try the grass, between the highway and the off-ramp,\u201d suggested Brian, pointing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen eased forward, guiding her car carefully off the road and over the patch of grass that separated the lanes.\u00a0 It quickly became apparent that this was a mistake, though, when she found herself blocked by a truck that had tried to exit late and was stalled between the freeway and the ramp.\u00a0 There was no way she could get around it; her Cobalt was walled in on both sides by other cars.\u00a0 The only way out was in reverse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen again, maybe not,\u201d said Brian.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay.\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen shifted gears and raised her eyes automatically to the rearview mirror as she started to back up.\u00a0 Suddenly, she screamed and slammed on the brake again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat??\u201d\u00a0 Brian twisted around in his seat to look.\u00a0 Gretchen heard him draw in a sharp breath as he caught sight of what had made her scream.<\/p>\n

Zombies.\u00a0 A small flock of them had converged behind the car.\u00a0 She could see them lumbering around in her rearview mirror, hear the taps of their hands thumping against the trunk.\u00a0 Horrified, she met Brian\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we gonna do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the car back into park.\u00a0 Maybe\u2026 maybe if we just stay put, hold still and keep quiet, they\u2019ll go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen remembered how the zombies had surrounded her car in the driveway of her house, how she\u2019d feared they would break the windows with their relentless beating.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019re thinking of T-rexes,\u201d she said shakily.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow, I don\u2019t think these guys work the same way.\u00a0 I had to run some down to get out of my driveway this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cSo\u2026 let\u2019s do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Shuddering, Gretchen released the brake and floored the gas.\u00a0 The car rocketed backwards, and she let out a little gasp as it struck several zombies with a sickening thump.\u00a0 She and Brian were thrown against their seatbelts as the car bumped over the fallen bodies.\u00a0 And then, suddenly, the Cobalt lurched to an abrupt stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Brian demanded, turning around to look again.\u00a0 \u201cKeep going \u2013 you\u2019re doing fine!\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen pressed the pedal as far as it would go and heard the motor rev loudly, but the car barely moved.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m trying!\u201d she cried.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019re stuck!\u00a0 We\u2019re stuck on their bodies!\u201d\u00a0 She pictured the car wedged on a heap of half-crushed bodies, its tires spinning futilely, and felt sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you go forward?\u201d<\/p>\n

She switched gears and tried, but only succeeded in revving the engine more.\u00a0 \u201cOh God\u2026 oh God, what do we do?\u201d she panicked.\u00a0 The remaining zombies had surrounded the car now.\u00a0 Their gray, festering faces and hands pressed against the windows as they tried to find a way in.\u00a0 Just as before, she feared it wouldn\u2019t take them long; with enough strength, they could break the glass.<\/p>\n

Brian looked around.\u00a0 His jaw was set, his eyes narrow and determined.\u00a0 He looked more alive than he had the entire time he\u2019d been riding in the car with her, and she could tell his mind was hard at work.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve gotta bail,\u201d he decided after a few seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cBail?\u00a0 How are we supposed to get out of the car?\u00a0 They\u2019re everywhere!\u00a0 The minute we open the door, they\u2019ll be on us!\u201d Gretchen protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right; we can\u2019t get out through the doors.\u00a0 We\u2019ll go out through the top.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up.\u00a0 \u201cThe moon roof.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen followed his gaze upward to her moon roof, which had been a selling point when she\u2019d bought the Cobalt four years ago.\u00a0 She\u2019d never so much as stuck her head out of it, let alone tried to climb through it.\u00a0 But she thought through the idea.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what then?\u00a0 The car\u2019s not that tall; they\u2019ll still be able to reach our legs.\u00a0 And we can\u2019t jump down with them surrounding the car\u2026 I dunno about you, but I\u2019d never make it over their heads; they\u2019d be all over me in an instant\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re right; we\u2019d need to get away first, put some distance between them and us.\u00a0 We\u2019ll stay on the roofs.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured at the long string of cars ahead, and Gretchen suddenly understood where his plan was headed.\u00a0 She pictured them vaulting from car to car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we have a choice.\u00a0 The other option is to stay in the car and wait for them to break in.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to try and run for it.\u00a0 Once we get over a few cars, they\u2019ll have a hard time trying to get through this mess.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get to the first car that\u2019s in a clear position to get out of the jam, and we\u2019ll take that one,\u201d said Brian.\u00a0 Suddenly, he seemed rational and assured.\u00a0 She had no choice but to trust him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d she agreed with a shudder.<\/p>\n

While the zombies pounded on the exterior of the car, she and Brian unbuckled their seatbelts and stowed their few belongings in her backpack.\u00a0 \u201cYou got any weapons in the car?\u201d Brian asked.\u00a0 \u201cA tire iron, anything like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen shook her head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I don\u2019t have a clue how to change a tire.\u00a0 All I\u2019ve got is an umbrella and an ice scraper, in the backseat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure the umbrella\u2019s gonna do much good, but we should take the scraper\u2026 just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thought of killing a zombie with an ice scraper was laughable, but Gretchen reached back and found it on the floor of the backseat.\u00a0 It did make her feel a little better, to be holding something hard in her hand.\u00a0 And then she remembered the gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait!\u00a0 I do have a weapon!\u00a0 Shawn\u2019s gun\u2026 in my bag.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She carefully drew the gun from her pack and showed it to Brian.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s an antique\u2026 I\u2019ve never used it, hardly even held it before\u2026 but it\u2019s something, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter than an ice scraper!\u201d Brian agreed, one corner of his mouth twitching in a faint glimmer of a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou wanna take it, or you want me to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can,\u201d Gretchen said and gladly handed it over.\u00a0 \u201cHave you ever fired a gun before?\u201d<\/p>\n

A humorless chuckle escaped his lips.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 But I guess there\u2019s a first time for everything.\u201d\u00a0 He rose from his seat and slipped the gun into the front pocket of his jacket, while she struggled to put on her backpack in the confines of the car.\u00a0 \u201cOpen your moon roof,\u201d he directed her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go through first, and then I\u2019ll pull you up, okay?\u00a0 You ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

She took a deep breath and released it shakily.\u00a0 \u201cI guess it\u2019s now or never.\u201d\u00a0 She reached up to the button that controlled the moon roof and pushed it, holding it in while the glass began to move, slowly sliding open.<\/p>\n

Brian climbed up onto the passenger seat and put his head through.\u00a0 He was able to boost himself up and onto the roof of the car using mostly his arms, a feat Gretchen didn\u2019t think she would have been able to accomplish on her own.\u00a0 When he was through, he crouched on the edge and reached his hand down.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen shook as she followed his lead, standing up on her seat and taking his hand.\u00a0 He helped pull her up as she climbed through the opening.\u00a0 She was okay until she found herself crouched on a narrow strip of metal on the roof of the car, looking down at a cluster of zombies who were looking stupidly back up at her, arms outstretched, moaning hungrily.\u00a0 Then panic and vertigo set in, and she began to wobble.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Gretchen,\u201d said Brian, grabbing her upper arm and squeezing tightly.\u00a0 \u201cStand up\u2026 careful, but quick.\u201d\u00a0 He rose from his crouch, pulling her with him.\u00a0 Holding onto him for stability, she felt more confident, until she felt a cold, stiff hand latch onto her ankle.<\/p>\n

She screamed, as the hand pulled, dragging her foot clear out from under her.\u00a0 She went down hard, falling into Brian and nearly knocking him off the top of the car.\u00a0 Luckily, he was agile and sunk back to a crouch, helping to cushion her fall.\u00a0 Her right side hit the rim of the moon roof, and she cried out as shockwaves of pain rippled through her ribcage.\u00a0 But her attention was quickly drawn away from the pain by the sensation of being pulled by the ankle.\u00a0 She could feel her body sliding off the roof and screamed again in desperation.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s got me!\u00a0 Brian!!\u00a0 Don\u2019t let it pull me off!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotcha!\u201d he promised, holding onto her arms.\u00a0 \u201cKick!\u00a0 Kick it away, and I\u2019ll pull you back up!\u201d<\/p>\n

She kicked blindly and managed to connect with some part of the zombie\u2019s body.\u00a0 It was enough to break its hold on her, and in the split second before another zombie latched on, Brian pulled, and she scrambled back onto the roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d shouted Brian, and, grabbing her hand, he jumped down onto the hood of her car.\u00a0 She followed him as he leaped from there onto the trunk of the nearest car in the congested highway lane, then climbed up and over the roof.<\/p>\n

They continued on this way, scrambling over one vehicle and onto the next.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as fast as running, but it put them out of the reach of the undead.\u00a0 Zombies, Gretchen realized, chancing a look over her shoulder, appeared to lack the coordination needed to climb onto a car, and they were quickly barricaded behind the same traffic jam that had stranded Gretchen and Brian in their midst in the first place.<\/p>\n

The congested lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic lasted longer than Gretchen had anticipated, but from her new vantage point, she didn\u2019t regret leaving the Cobalt behind.\u00a0 It never would have made it through this mess.\u00a0 Their only alternative would have been to backtrack to the nearest exit and find an alternate route back onto the interstate.<\/p>\n

Now they looked ahead for a new vehicle that was in a position to be driven away.\u00a0 Toward the front of the line, there was a moving truck jack-knifed across two lanes, blocking everything behind it.\u00a0 Ahead of it was a pick-up that appeared to have careened off the side of the road, uprooting a speed limit sign in its path.\u00a0 Its front was smashed into the guardrail on the narrow shoulder of the road.\u00a0 The only option appeared to be a white SUV that was stalled in the left-hand lane, with nothing blocking its path.\u00a0 Gretchen guessed the driver had stopped it there to die, probably causing the pick-up truck to swerve out of its way, the moving truck to jack-knife, and the other cars to pile up behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SUV,\u201d she told Brian, pointing it out.<\/p>\n

He agreed, and they made their way to it.\u00a0 The landscape seemed clear of zombies now, and they were almost onto an overpass, making the likelihood of any zombies wandering onto the road from the sides very slim.\u00a0 It seemed they were almost out of danger, as long as they could take the SUV and drive away before the zombies found a way through the traffic jam.<\/p>\n

But when they approached the white SUV, Gretchen gasped and jumped back.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s one of them inside!\u201d<\/p>\n

A lone zombie woman struggled behind the wheel, writhing convulsively in the driver\u2019s seat, with apparently no mental capacity to work out how to escape her own vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one,\u201d said Brian slowly, almost calmly.\u00a0 \u201cWe can let it out and then kill it.\u201d\u00a0 He drew Shawn\u2019s gun from his coat pocket.\u00a0 \u201cGo around to the front\u2026 you open the door and stay behind it, out of the way.\u00a0 When it comes out, I\u2019ll shoot it in the head, and we\u2019ll jump in.\u00a0 Sound easy enough?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cI guess?\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to go anywhere near the SUV, but it seemed their best option, and as long she stayed out of reach, as long as Brian could aim, the plan would work.<\/p>\n

The zombie\u2019s thrashing movements intensified as she crept up to the door.\u00a0 Her hand shook as she reached for the handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d Brian coached her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m right behind you\u2026 I\u2019m ready for her when you are\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He was already pointing the gun, ready for his shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026 here goes.\u201d\u00a0 Shuddering, Gretchen pulled the handle and leaped back, yanking the car door with her.\u00a0 She stayed behind it, using it like a shield, as the zombie spilled out.<\/p>\n

Brian waited until the zombie straightened up.\u00a0 Then he aimed at her head and pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n

The gun emitted a hollow click.\u00a0 It did not fire.<\/p>\n

Brian jumped back in surprise, turning the gun over in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cIs this thing loaded?!\u201d he roared, raising panicked eyes to meet Gretchen\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Too late, she realized her mistake.\u00a0 \u201cOh my God\u2026 I don\u2019t know!\u00a0 I don\u2019t know; it was dark, and I just grabbed it; I wasn\u2019t thinking!\u201d she cried, horrified at this deadly oversight.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have any ammo??\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 I don\u2019t think so, no!\u201d<\/p>\n

With a strangled cry, Brian threw the gun at the zombie.\u00a0 It ricocheted off her head, but of course did no damage.\u00a0 The zombie barely reacted, other than its head tilting backwards with the force.\u00a0 It staggered toward Brian, arms reaching, mouth open wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuick \u2013 I need a weapon!\u201d he shouted as he scrambled backwards.<\/p>\n

Gretchen looked around and suddenly spotted the speed-limit sign that had been knocked over by the pick-up truck.\u00a0 It was lying on its side, its post uprooted from the ground.\u00a0 \u201cThe sign!\u201d she cried and ran towards it, picking it up.\u00a0 It was heavier than she\u2019d imagined, but she managed to drag it over to Brian, who was dodging the zombie\u2019s clumsy swipes.<\/p>\n

Brian lifted the signpost with surprising strength, given his wiry frame.\u00a0 With a shout that sounded almost like a battle cry, he charged the zombie and, using the signpost like a jousting lance, he rammed it through her torso, impaling the zombie in a spray of guts that showered both him and Gretchen.\u00a0 When the creature fell, he jammed the post down further, effectively pinning it to the ground.<\/p>\n

Gretchen watched in horror as the zombie continued to writhe and moan around the post through its middle.\u00a0 There was no blood loss and no sign that the zombie would stop struggling and die.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to kill the brain,\u201d said Brian in a low, detached voice, \u201cto kill one of them.\u201d\u00a0 With this almost off-handed remark, he walked quite casually to the open driver\u2019s side door and climbed in.\u00a0 \u201cKeys are here,\u201d he told Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cGet in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trembling all over, Gretchen went around to the passenger side and climbed up into the SUV.\u00a0 She was relieved Brian was driving now; she was shaking so badly, she didn\u2019t think she\u2019d have been able to.\u00a0 She slumped down in her seat, exhausted, panting, her head spinning.\u00a0 As Brian turned the key in the ignition, she looked down at herself and felt her stomach roll.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all over me!\u201d she cried out in horror, seeing the bits of zombie insides that had spattered not only her pajamas, but her bare arms and legs as well.\u00a0 \u201cOh God\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Her gag reflex kicked in, and she began to retch, not actually bringing anything up, but unable to stop gagging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2026 I know,\u201d Brian murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanna get away from here\u2026 then we can stop and find somewhere to clean up, alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh please\u2026 thank you,\u201d Gretchen gasped.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t remember the last time she\u2019d felt so nauseated \u2013 morning sickness paled in comparison.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on,\u201d Brian reassured her.\u00a0 He sped away from the traffic jam, leaving it a mere glimmer in the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook\u2026 there\u2019s hotels over there,\u201d said Gretchen a few minutes later, pointing out the window as they drove past the outskirts of Macon.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry; I don\u2019t think we should stop at a hotel,\u201d Brian replied.\u00a0 \u201cIf there were people staying there when they died, that means there\u2019ll be zombies there now.\u00a0 No, I think we\u2019re better off getting away from the populated areas and finding a house, somewhere in the country.\u00a0 There\u2019ll be less zombies where there were less people around to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

As much as she hated sitting in the car covered in zombie guts, Gretchen couldn\u2019t argue with his logic.\u00a0 She closed her eyes while he drove and tried to imagine she were somewhere else.\u00a0 Only when she felt the car turn did she open her eyes.\u00a0 Brian had taken an exit and was navigating down the off-ramp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis looks better,\u201d he commented, once they found themselves on a two-lane road.\u00a0 \u201cThis route looks like it heads into the country, maybe a small, rural town.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find somewhere to stop this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you think,\u201d Gretchen murmured, too woozy to disagree.\u00a0 In addition to the shock and queasiness she felt, her side hurt where she\u2019d fallen on the roof of the car, and she wondered vaguely if she had cracked a rib.<\/p>\n

At last, the car slowed, and she gazed out the windshield at a small farmhouse with wooden gray shingles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no garage and no cars parked out front,\u201d Brian observed.\u00a0 \u201cThat means there was probably no one home\u2026 which hopefully means none of them<\/i> around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d sighed Gretchen, closing her eyes again in relief.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t wait to jump in a shower and wash all this off me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they climbed out of the SUV, Gretchen eyed him, noting the old bloodstains on his clothes and skin again.\u00a0 \u201cPoint taken.\u00a0 Maybe you should go first,\u201d she said, as they trudged up to the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there\u2019ll be two showers,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cIf not\u2026 ladies first.\u201d<\/p>\n

She managed to smile.\u00a0 \u201cA true Southern gentleman.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The front door was locked, but Brian used a rock to smash the window next to it and let them in.\u00a0 They explored the house together, armed with fireplace tools they\u2019d found in the front room, but Brian\u2019s logic had proven correct, and the house was blessedly empty.\u00a0 As it turned out, there were two bathrooms, but only the upstairs one had a shower; the downstairs, only an old, clawfoot tub.<\/p>\n

\u201cDunno about you, but I\u2019m not too keen on floating in the filth I\u2019m trying to wash off me,\u201d said Brian upstairs.\u00a0 \u201cYou take a shower first, and I\u2019ll wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026 I\u2019ll try to be quick.\u00a0 Thank you,\u201d she repeated with gratitude.<\/p>\n

It was hard to be quick, though, once she was under the hot water.\u00a0 She washed at once, scrubbing away every trace of zombie remains from her skin, but even once it looked clean, she felt the compulsion to keep scrubbing, keep scouring.\u00a0 It was only the darkness \u2013 they\u2019d found a few candles to light the bathroom, but without windows, it was still quite dim \u2013 and the knowledge that Brian was waiting to get clean as well that made her finally rinse and turn off the tap.<\/p>\n

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a clean towel she\u2019d found in the linen closet.\u00a0 Wet hair dripping on her shoulders, she exited the bathroom and motioned Brian in.\u00a0 \u201cAll yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he replied with a grim smile, as they traded places.<\/p>\n

When the bathroom door shut, she finished toweling off and changed quickly into the spare clothes she\u2019d thrown into her backpack.\u00a0 It was a huge relief to be clean, she thought, as she perched on the bed in the master bedroom and finger-combed her hair.\u00a0 She felt much better already, the nausea and faintness a distant memory, one she was determined to keep at bay by not thinking about what she and Brian had just been through.\u00a0 But her ribs continued to bother her, a nagging reminder of the ordeal.\u00a0 Her side panged as she got up from the bed and walked over to the dresser mirror.\u00a0 She pulled up her shirt to inspect it and saw the beginnings of bruises already starting to form.\u00a0 There were no odd lumps, though, nothing that seemed out of place, and so she contented herself with the thought that she was only banged up, not broken.\u00a0 She would live.<\/p>\n

She was back on the bed, massaging her tender ribs, when the bathroom door clicked open again, and Brian came out.\u00a0 Seeing him cleaned-up for the first time, she couldn\u2019t help but do a double take.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t realized before how attractive he was, with high cheekbones, a chiseled jaw covered in two-day stubble, and shockingly blue eyes.\u00a0 His wavy hair was plastered to his scalp, and he was still quite wet, a towel around his waist, his upper half bare.\u00a0 She saw that he was quite skinny, but toned, with muscular arms and a well-defined torso.\u00a0 Running down the middle of his chest, she noticed, was a long scar, faintly red and raised.<\/p>\n

Catching her looking, he said, \u201cOpen heart surgery, last May.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 She felt herself blush, embarrassed to have been caught staring.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He waved her off.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be.\u00a0 It was to repair a defect I was born with, a hole in my heart.\u00a0 A couple of holes, as it turned out,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m fine now\u2026 I\u2019m not gonna keel over and die on you, I promise.\u201d\u00a0 He offered a thin smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the scariest thing I\u2019d ever been through\u2026 until today.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stopped there, and again, she wondered about what he\u2019d been through before she\u2019d encountered him that morning.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t elaborate, and she didn\u2019t press.\u00a0 Instead, she lay down on the bed.\u00a0 Her ribs twinged with the movement, but once she was settled, it felt good to be lying flat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m exhausted,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI wish we could just stay here a few hours and take a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have to leave right away.\u00a0 Dunno about you, but I\u2019ve been on the move since about midnight.\u00a0 It would be good to rest\u2026 maybe scrounge up some breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen made a face.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I could eat, after what we just saw.\u00a0 Not sure I can really sleep either, but right now, I\u2019d rather lie here than get back in the car,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hungry either,\u201d said Brian.\u00a0 \u201cBut you go ahead and rest.\u00a0 We deserve a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen closed her eyes, but of course, sleep did not come right away.\u00a0 Instead, she saw the freeway, lined with cars and zombies.\u00a0 She opened her eyes again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry about the gun,\u201d she blurted suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure you think I\u2019m the stupidest person in the world, not thinking to bring ammo or see if there was any inside.\u00a0 I should have known Shawn wouldn\u2019t keep it loaded, but I don\u2019t know the first thing about guns, and I wasn\u2019t thinking\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian actually chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s alright; it doesn\u2019t matter now.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t think you\u2019re stupid.\u00a0 You saved my life, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen smiled in relief.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you saved mine too,\u201d she pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019re even.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 37 I\u2019ve always been something of a loner.\u00a0 I guess that sounds weird, coming from someone who was married, who was surrounded by people at work every day, and who was liked by most of them.\u00a0 But it\u2019s true.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":37,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/210"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":538,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/210\/revisions\/538"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}