Zombie Immunity

  Chapter 2

   Dany found the pantry that was still stocked full, although a few of the fresher things had gone bad a long time ago and the smell made her eyes water.  There was a cloying sickly sweet taste in the back of her throat that she wouldn’t be able to get rid of for a few days.  She filled her army issued canteen and a few other containers that she had with water from the sink before she tried the pantry again.  Taking a deep breath, she ducked in and stuffed as many cans as she could into her backpack.  She didn’t stop until it was bulging and the zipper was straining at the seams.  She came out and took a deep breath of fresh air.  Regan had given a warning bark a few minutes earlier, but she’d been banging cans together and hadn’t heard her.  She looked around for Regan, but she found something else instead.  Dany stepped into the living room and had to duck and roll to get under the outstretched arms of a zombie that had apparently followed her into the house.  She pulled her machete from its sheath and took a defensive stance.  The zombie wasn’t anyone she knew, and she was always grateful for that.  It came at her, making its horrible death groans.  She swung her machete and watched as the head went sailing a few feet backwards from the impact.  She stood there for a few more minutes to catch her breath.  She hadn’t even known that she’d had company.  It was a good thing that her body reacted by itself now, because if she would have stopped to think for even a second, it would have ripped a nice chunk out of her flesh.  

   Regan was barking, but it wasn’t her usual warning bark.  She’d found something.  Dany went to find her.  She was sitting in the hallway that led to the front door and she was looking up.  Dany followed her gaze and saw one of those old fashioned pull down stairs that usually led to an attic.  Dany patted Regan’s head in thanks and reached up to take the rope that would pull the stairs down.  She gave a mighty tug and the stairs came down with a lot of creaking and grinding.  Dany froze as they rattled into place.  She was hoping nothing else had heard them.  She gestured for Regan to try going up the stairs first to see if Dany had to carry her.  Regan made it fine, and Dany followed her up with her backpack and made sure she pulled the stairs up behind her.  The attic was dark, but there was a window at one end that let a little light in.  From another pouch in her backpack, she pulled out a flashlight.  She rarely used it because she couldn’t always count on finding batteries.  She switched it on and looked around.  It was empty for the most part, and it looked like someone had made a camp up here a long time ago.  There were a few nests of blankets, an old camp lantern, and in one corner, there was a small stack of fruits and vegetables.  Upon inspection, Dany saw that they were a little soft, but still edible.  She let Regan take what she wanted, then took an apple for herself.  This was as good a place as any to spend the night.  The zombies wouldn’t know she was there, and even if they did, they couldn’t get to her.  Maybe Dany would actually get a good night’s sleep tonight.  

   Nestling into one of the big piles of blankets, she wished Regan a good night and closed her eyes.  The good night’s sleep that she was hoping for never came.  Instead, a nightmare of the past plagued her mind.  The news reports from a year ago when the first outbreak happened swam around in her consciousness.  She watched the news all over again in her mind as the announcer made the report that New Jersey and New York had been attacked by terrorists wielding a mutated version of the bubonic plague.  There had only been a small leak, and the military had contained it.  They’d shut down the borders between New Jersey it’s bordering states, and bombed the hell out of the state.  After the dust had settled, and it had been confirmed that there were no more zombies, a quarantine had been built out of the ashes.  That’s where she was headed.  Then her parents and her little brother flashed before her eyes, drawing her out of her muddled dreamscape.  She woke up in a cold sweat.  Sitting up suddenly, she listened for death groans before she went back to sleep.  

   In the morning, she ate more of the fruits and vegetables so she could preserve her canned food.  Regan dug in with her, and between the two of them they finished both little piles.  Dany listened carefully before she let the stairs down to get out of the attic.  Regan took point and woofed an all clear for her.  Dany took that as a good sign and came down.  They would have a lot of ground to cover today if she wanted to get past Springfield before it got dark again.  It wasn’t safe to be anywhere near a city at nightfall.  

   “Come on, Regan, let’s go see what kind of trouble we can stir up today.  Maybe it’ll help us pass the time.”  She cautiously left the farm house, with Regan at her heels.  Dany set off at a light jog.  She might as well keep her fitness up while she was free and clear, without anything trying to eat her.  Regan kept pace with her easily, and Dany led them back into the tree line that bordered the main road.  They wouldn’t be there for protection much longer, but she was going to use them while she could.  

   It was a little harder to get past the town, Dany had to slink from shadow to shadow.   Once she reached the far outskirts, however, it seemed like her luck was going to be getting better. There was a small cluster of houses lumped together, and she could see that there were cars in most of the driveways. It was just a matter of luck whether or not she would find keys in the cars. She crept up to the house closest to her, Regan at her heels. There were no death groans, and that was a good sign. She didn’t even bother to raid the house, since her supply bag was still full, but she did want one of those cars to help get her out of Illinois that much faster. She walked up to the passenger side and peeked in the window of a small sedan. There were no keys in the ignition. She opened the door as quietly as she could and pulled down the driver side visor. Nothing fell out into her waiting hand. She left the door open so she wouldn’t be risking more noise, and moved on to the next one. This car was an SUV with the back windows tinted. She looked in the driver side window and saw keys in the ignition. Success! Quietly, she opened the door, but froze as a loud squeak came from the hinges. Nothing moved for a few seconds, but then she could hear the death groans. There were quite a lot, and they were headed her way. Dany hit the unlock button on the door and opened the back seat up for Regan to jump into. The only problem was, someone was already there.

  “Ahhhhh!” A young girl was laying down in the back seat, screaming and terrified beyond belief.

  “Shhhh! It’s ok! We’re not going to hurt you. I just need to get my dog in the car so we can leave. The zombies are coming.” The girl stopped screaming and moved over. Regan jumped in and Dany closed the door behind her. The groans were getting closer and when she turned around to check, she could see them a few feet away. There were a lot of them and she knew even with Regan, and possible the new girl, assuming she could fight, they would still be overrun. She jumped in the driver’s seat and turned the key. The engine sputtered, but rumbled to life after a few seconds. Dany threw the gear shift in to reverse, and backed up, running over a zombie in the process. She made sure she had clearance, then threw it into drive and floored it out of the cul-de-sac. They drove for a few minutes in silence. Dany kept looking at the girl in the rearview mirror.

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Marigold. I used to live in that house we were in front of. My parents turned, and I was too scared to sleep in the house, so I came out here to sleep in the back of the car and hide. I only leave the car if I have to use the bathroom or get food. I filled up the trunk area with cans and jugs of water, so I stay here. The windows mean they can’t see me.” That was pretty smart, Dany had to admit.

  “And you never thought of driving away?”

  “No. Where would I go? I just grabbed the keys so I could use the door locks and the heat if I needed it. I usually just bundle under blankets though, because the sound of the car starting up makes them come out from where ever they’re hiding.”

  “Well, I’m headed to New Jersey. They built a quarantine up there for survivors w
hen this happened the first time, so it should be a safe place. Do you want to come with me or do you want me to drop you off somewhere?” The girl’s eyes opened wide.

  “NO! Don’t leave me! Please, I haven’t seen another human since my parents turned. I don’t want to end up like them.”

  “Can you fight?” The girl hung her head. That was a no. Well, it wasn’t like Dany couldn’t teach her. “I’ll teach you when we stop, but I’m not stopping until we run out of gas. Unless someone has to pee. She looked at Regan, who just looked back at her for a moment before she lay down and went to sleep. That was a no.

  “Thank you so much. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Dany, and the dog is Regan. We’re from Missouri, and we’ve come a long way.” The girl seemed surprised that someone her own age had survived that long on the road.

  “Wow, I never thought someone like me could stay alive like that on the open road.” Dany gave her a look that plainly said, ‘I am nothing like you’, and the girl hung her head and looked out the window.

  Hours went by, and they crossed the border into Indiana. When Dany looked in the back seat, both Regan and Marigold were asleep. Dany smiled. She felt like a mom right now. This was going to be her new family, and though she and Marigold were about the same age, she was the one taking over responsibility and making sure everyone was ok. By the time the gas light came on, they were fifty miles from the Ohio border. She was able to get another thirty out of the car before it died completely. It was dark out, and her two passengers were still sleeping. Dany turned off the engine, locked the doors, and stretched out between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat. Luckily for her, this SUV didn’t have a center console to make her bed uncomfortable. She fell asleep quickly, trying not to think too much about the past, and what Marigold had to go through. Dany had been lucky not to see her parents turn.

  “Good night, you two,” she whispered.