Dead River, page 15
Jason scurried across the room, snatched it away from Colin and cupped it in both hands. Tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes and slid down his cheeks. Rosie whinnied and squirmed inside of the baby sling, her feet sliding down the front of his tee-shirt. Colin remembered the voice on the other end of the mike had belonged to the same voice he’d heard on the voicemail on Stacey’s cell phone.
“I’m here, Mom. I’m here.”
“Oh my God.” She said. “Are you okay?”
Tears brimmed in his eyes. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Can you put your sister on now? I want to—”
“She’s dead, Mom.”
He’d said it so quick nobody could hear him at first.
“What?”
Jason inhaled and sighed. After he repeated himself, a choking sob exploded from the mike. A lone tear protruded from the corner of Pixie’s eye and slid down her cheeks.
“Is Rosie okay?”
Jason chuckled. “She’s good, Mom. She’s right here in front of me.”
“Hey, Rosie.” The woman chirped. “It’s Momma. Mommy’s here.”
Rosie heard the voice on the other end and stared around the room. Once she realized she couldn’t see her, she hiccupped and gave a loud piercing wail. Quintero slid Rosie out of the sling, wrapped her up in her arms and pressed her against her chest; she danced around the room, whispering a sweet lullaby in the baby’s ear.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry about Stacey.”
“At least you’re okay. At least I’ll be able to see...at least...two of my—”
The woman’s voice cracked and gave away. They heard a second fumble coming from the other end of the line. Jason stared down at the edge of the table, clamped his hand over his mouth and quivered with each sob.
“Hey, little guy.”
A second voice blared out from the mike, snapping Jason’s head up from the floor. Compared to the first they heard, this voice sounded a little more optimistic.
“Is that you, Rory?” Jason said.
“It’s me, little buddy. Where are you right now?”
“I’m still in Ohio. Stacey and I bumped into his guy and he’s going to take us get to Texas in his boat.”
“A boat? Did you say a boat?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s great, buddy. Can I talk to your friend?”
Colin slipped the mike out of Jason’s grasp and signaled for him to stand next to Teresa. He thumbed the mike and scanned the sea of faces staring back at him.
“I’m here.” He said. “My name’s Colin. Colin McCoy.”
“Thank you for everything.” Rory said.
“I’m sorry about your sister.”
“Stacey was always the stubborn one.”
A panicked whisper played in the background.
“What are you going to do?” Rory said.
“I’m going to do my best to protect them.”
“Please be careful.” Rory said. “We caught something on our satellites about an hour ago.”
A hush fell over the room.
“What did you see?” Colin said.
“There’s an army heading your way. Sixty maybe seventy I don’t know but you need to consider hauling some major ass before they get there.”
Pixie gasped, tears still brimming in her eyes, and clamped her hand over her mouth. Gloom settled across Dominic and Teresa’s faces, their eyes locked onto one another as if they were being forced to make a decision they didn’t like.
“I’ll do my best to get them there.”
“Please.” Rory said. “We’ll give you whatever you need.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He said. “Out.”
Teresa’s eyes widened with shock, Dominic slid off the right arm of the couch and plopped down onto the cushion and Pixie’s face contorted with shock. When Colin took his thumb off the mike and placed it back onto the table, he strode across the room and into the kitchen.
“Wait a minute.” Teresa said. “You have…you have a…”
Pixie said. “Where’s your boat?”
Colin placed a stack of pancakes onto a plate along with a neat stack of bacon, filled a porcelain blue coffee mug with steamy black coffee and held both items in his hands. Confusion etched across Teresa’s face, drawing a deep line down the front of her forehead.
“Eat first.” He said. “Talk later.”
They did as he asked and when he was finished he told them while they ate.
After he told them everything, he took another sip of steaming black coffee from a white Styrofoam cup, set it back on the table and scanned the sea of confused faces sitting around him. Teresa and Dominic sat across from him and sighed. Pixie sat at the head of the table to Colin’s left, the sides of her teacup breasts jutting out from the plunging neckline of her silky pink kimono.
He stacked his arms across his chest and waited. He’d only told them what they needed to know and nothing more. He didn’t feel obligated to tell them anything else.
Teresa sat hunched over her chair, sipping coffee from another white Styrofoam cup with her right hand perched on her right knee. Dominic shook his head and sighed. Pixie swept her left hand across the crown of her forehead, drew back a sharp breath and sighed.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dominic said.
“Do you have any idea what people would do if they found out I have a boat?” Colin said.
Pixie stared at him, her eyes dark and inquisitive, and sighed.
Teresa took another sip and swallowed. She sat up in her chair, set her cup down and leaned against the edge of the table. As much as he wanted to agree with Dominic, she couldn’t.
“I’m not sure.”
Thin shafts of sunlight slipped through the cracks between the boarded-up windows, snatching dust particles out of the air. The eight-legged chandelier spread coffee-cup shadows across the table’s glossy-brown surface.
Rosie snatched Jason’s right thumb and held it between her chubby pink hands. Jason bent over and planted a soft kiss on the crown of her forehead. Pixie watched the exchange and glanced down at them with parental approval, her eyes glistening.
“This is just getting better.” Dominic sighed. “We get someplace where we can stay safe from these fucking things and now they’re coming down here to finish us off.”
Colin traced a circular pattern in the air with his finger. “It’s not like you’re sleeping in a cardboard box under the overpass. You’re safer here than everybody else is.”
Teresa snapped her fingers and got everyone’s attention. Silence filled the room.
“We’ve been trying to reach them for two days.”
He shrugged. “Well now you know why.”
“How much time to do we have before they get here?”
“Why would they even come here in the first place?” Pixie said.
“Shit rolls downhill.” Colin said.
He heard a childish snicker from somewhere inside the room but he didn’t bother to check. He clucked his tongue to keep from laughing along with them.
“How long do we have?”
“Not long.” He shook his head. “They took over California in three weeks and Florida and New York in two days. Who knows how long it’ll take them to turn this town into a fucking slaughterhouse?”
“I don’t think it’s safe to leave.” Dominic said in an urgent voice. “We’ll put extra barriers across the outside of the windows and stay inside. We have everything we need.”
“Not exactly.” Teresa said.
She downed her coffee in one giant swig, set the empty cup back onto the table. She slid her chair away from the table, stood up from her seat and stretched her right arm out in front of her. Dominic twitched and, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, jerked his head back as if he were dodging a bullet.
“We’re running out of food.” She said. “And gas for the generators.”
Dominic buried his face in his hands and sighed. Pixie glanced down at the floor, a forlorn look etched across her face that made her look older than she was.
“We’re going to run out by the end of tomorrow.” Teresa said, pressing her hands in the air. “We may want to think about leaving now that we have the chance.”
“You’re right.” Colin nodded. “If we leave separately, it’ll be harder for them to catch us.”
“Wait a minute.” Teresa said.
She, Pixie and Dominic snatched a breath and glanced at him. Teresa hunched over, pressed her hands against the table and leaned over.
“Separate ways?” She said. “We’re going with you.”
“Me?” Colin sighed. “I didn’t say I–”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “We knew better than to ask him for help.”
“Texas is the only safest place we can be right now.” She said.
“You’ve got to take us with you.” Pixie said. “We can’t stay here while those things are running loose out there. I don’t want to die here.”
Teresa peered back at Colin. “You said you were going to Foster’s, right?”
He nodded.
“If anyone knows this town by the back of their hand.” She said. “it’s us. If we take you there, will you take us to Abilene?”
A cloud of uncomfortable silence filled the house. She raised her right hand toward her face, spit in the middle of her palm and extended her arm across the table. The more he thought about it, the more he knew what he must do.
She could’ve shot them when she had the chance to but she didn’t. Instead, she took them in and gave them food and shelter.
“Why not?” Jason said.
Colin glanced down at him. Rosie fidgeted inside the carrier, glanced at him with her bright blue eyes and bunched her tiny fists together in a rebellious manner.
He scanned the sea of downtrodden faces staring back at him, saw the tiny flicker of light glinting in their eyes and gave a deep sigh. He felt like he were walking through a dog shelter, peering intently into each and every cage, gazing into the wet pleading looks on the faces of every stray dog and knowing full well he wanted all of them when he knew he couldn’t. They weren’t exactly dogs but they’d been just as kind, loving, compassionate and caring.
Who knew how long they would’ve lasted after their supplies were gone? How long would it have been before they turned on each other?
Those were just a few of the questions he’d asked himself before making his decision.
“Okay.” Colin said. “There are going to be rules.”
A chorus of gasps rose from the crowd. Dominic raised his head from the table and wiped a tear from his cheek with the back of his hand. Pixie clasped her hands together and bit her bottom lip to stifle the urge to cry.
They froze and stared at him.
“My boat, my rules.” He said. “Understood?”
They nodded.
“You are to pack only what you need.” He said. “Once we get to the boat, I have enough supplies that’ll take care of us along the way. If you get bit, I will kill you. If you get outnumbered, I’ll have no choice but to leave you behind. Understood?”
Dominic sighed and rolled his eyes.
He sighed. “Everyone be ready to ship out at oh nine thirty and no later.”
Pixie cast a playful grin, her cheeks beaming with flattery.
“Is there a bathroom around here?” “
I’ll show you.” Teresa said.
She led him out of the dining room, across the front room and back upstairs to the second floor. She led him down the hallway. She opened the door standing on the far left between Jason and Dominic’s bedroom and brushed her hand across the doorway.
A porcelain toilet sat on a cracked white linoleum floor to the left next to a white porcelain sink. The tall clear bottle of antibacterial soap stood on the left side of the sink across from to a roll of paper towels perched on the opposite side. A small bright pink tub/shower combination sat on the far right side of the room, shrouded by a cheap white shower curtain depicting a cartoonish drawing of a seascape inhabited by bright colorful fish and large blue bubbles.
She waved her hand across the sink. “There’s razors in the medicine cabinet. They’re pink but they still get the job done.”
Colin stepped across the doorway when Teresa took a quick glance down the hallway, snatched the back of his tee-shirt in her right hand, spun him around and pushed him inside the bathroom. An incredulous stare flooded his face. He struck the wall with a soft thud between the toilet as his right hand flung out from his sides and knocked the roll of paper towels onto the floor.
She pinned him to the wall, slipped her Glock from her holster, thumbed back the hammer and pressed the barrel against his right cheek. Her eyes glinted like metallic shavings.
“This may be your rodeo.” She said. “But these are my people. The second I find out you’re putting any of us in danger I’m gonna drop you first. Understand?”
He could’ve reminded her that she was no longer a cop and had no authority over him but he didn’t. He understood what she was doing and why. Pixie and Dominic were just more than friends; they were the only family she had left.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Small beads of sweat peppered his cheeks and forehead. She stepped back, holstered her weapon and backed out of the bathroom. She sauntered down the hallway and out of sight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WHEN he finished shaving, Colin slid his hands down his face, his clean shaven throat and sighed at his reflection. He hadn’t felt or looked this clean in months. His tan square-jawed face was no longer a victim of unwanted stubble but the deep creases bracketing the corners of his mouth and eyes were signs of old age and survival.
Scars from a past he’d once destroyed before social distancing became a term. He deserved to carry those scars and more throughout the rest of his life like a badge of honor or a brand from a branding iron that could never be stripped away.
If he could make it to Abilene in one piece and reunite an entire family—whilst saving four other people in the process—then he could say he’d done something right for once. He’d done everything right by Alicia, but only up to a point where he knew he’d never be forgiven; the tears he’d shed had not come close to atonement.
There weren’t enough tears in this world to bring her back, alive or dead. A lump grew in the back of his throat and a ball of sadness filled his chest; hot tears welled in his eyes before he could hold them back. He bent down toward the sink, sipped a few handfuls of water from the tap and splashed a couple across his face.
He reached over for the roll of paper towels when something slipped past the brightly-lit doorway and brushed across the crown of his left shoulder. He snatched a breath and flinched, his skin prickling with fear.
He turned, his hand clutching the front of his shirt and glanced over to see who it was. Pixie stood outside of the room, placed her hands on both sides of the doorframe and craned her head inside of the room.
She wore brown leather cowboy boots, pink fishnet stockings under a tight faded-denim skirt and a blue tee-shirt with Chinese symbols emblazoned across the front; she looked like she was ready for school, not traipsing through a zombie infested city. Her nipples poked through the front of her tee-shirt like two pencil erasers; two large brown pencil erasers at that.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” He said.
“I just wanted to thank you.” She said. “I know you’re taking a big risk but—”
“We’re in this together.” He said. “When we get there, I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”
A pleasant smile spread across her face. “You look cuter without that facial hair.”
He nodded and thanked her.
She nodded back, wiped a tear from her left cheek. She stepped aside, shaking the contents inside of her dark-green book bag with each step. Footsteps paraded up the staircase. Dominic appeared from around the corner.
“Are you guys ready?” He said. “Teresa wants to get going.”
Dom traded the slacks for a pair of green khakis with large Velcro pockets and an expensive pair of orange and cream sneakers. A light blue bookbag was strapped to his back, cinched tightly across his shoulders.
He didn’t know anyone who was eager to go out there unless they wanted to die, let alone risk their life for anyone including him. He’d risked his life plenty of times but it wasn’t like these people didn’t have their reasons.
He followed Dominic down stairs and reached the bottom when he realized Pixie was no longer with him. Teresa peered up at the second-floor landing, a red bookbag strapped over her back. She’d tucked her long dark hair through the back of her black ball cap (the letters MSD stitched across the front in wheat-colored thread) and let it spill down the back of her neck.
“Come on, Pixie.” She said.
When their eyes met, he saw the mingled look of fear and anxiety on her face. He’d seen that look on the faces of plenty of people before in the past; even his own.
“I’m coming.”
Dominic and Jason chuckled. Colin wrapped the back of his pullover around his buttocks, stretched its elongated sleeves around his waist and tied it across his stomach. He heard a series of childish giggles behind him and peered over his shoulder to see Pixie joining them, her thin-fingered hand clamped across her mouth.
He rolled his eyes and snickered. It was too hot for him to wear it but he wasn’t about to leave it behind.
Something tapped him on the shoulder. Jason was standing beside of him, his eyes red from crying. He crouched down in front of him, placed his hands on his shoulders and glanced down at Rosie in time to hear her coo at him from behind a toothless pink grin.
“Can you tighten the straps on this?”
Colin did as Jason asked. “Does she need to be changed before we go?”
“Dominic helped me out with that a little bit ago.”
“Oh,” He nodded. “Well that was nice of him.”
It wasn’t until the man in question approached him from the right that Colin stood. He tapped Dominic on the back of his right shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“Thank you for helping Jason with his sister.” He said. “I appreciate what you–”
