04: Evacuation

Mathew Locke & Ryan Crawfield

“We’ll be there soon.” I called to my companion, snoring like a grizzly beside me. “Be ready.” His eyes opened slowly, blinking twice at me before rolling over to face the window.

Returning my gaze out the windshield, I stared pensively at the road as we barreled down the highway. The sun had begun to set over the large expanse of empty fields and farmland, casting everything in a warm orange glow. If I’d had it my way, we’d have been there by now. I hated driving at night, especially now. There were just too many unknowns with being out past dark.

At this point, I’d been driving for the past seven hours. Ryan had taken his turn back in Norfolk, all of forty minutes, and I was stuck trying to keep my eyes open and the truck on the road; but, then again, sleep didn’t matter. It never lasted very long these days. I tried to get some rest before we left Canyon Bay, but my nerves were too high-strung. Every time I drifted off, violent nightmares would jolt me awake. All I could see whenever I closed my eyes were the fetid, rotting faces of the infected. And then there was Isabella.

I didn’t want to imagine the things that happened to her that night. The pain of being ripped open and eaten alive. If only I’d been there. I couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly all of this had happened. Just a mere 72 hours ago everything was normal. Those flesh-hungry monsters were everyday people going about their lives; heading to work, worrying about bills or what dress to wear or the latest gossip on their favorite celebrities. Their lives had changed in an instant. The entire country had changed in an instant. And I shuddered to think this same nightmare could be spreading all over the world. “Ryan, you hear me?” I yelled, nudging his ribcage with my elbow.

“I heard you,” he croaked in a husky tone. “Wake me when we reach the city.”

“Don’t you mean ‘if?’ Now come on, you’re supposed to be my wingman so wake your ass up and get to work!”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” he replied sarcastically, finishing off with a mocking salute.

The M35A2 I’d ‘requisitioned’ from Fort David pitched only slightly with the dips and rolls of Interstate 95. One thing I can say about the Army, they know how to build these things to last. I maneuvered the large transport along the shoulder with the practiced hands of an old salt, avoiding the remnants of some poor soul that had been torn apart and left for the vultures. It had been the only sight for miles and I hoped it meant we were getting close.

Fairhaven. The city of dreams some called it. Ryan and I know it as Safe Haven. As broadcast over KTW 92.4, it was THE place to go to avoid the outbreak. Supposedly, they had been working on a cure and anyone who had survived this long was encouraged to make the trek. Ryan and I decided to pack up and hit the road for a few reasons. One, if they really had found a cure, we wanted to be close by in case we ever needed one.

Don’t get me wrong. I never thought I’d live to see old age. Growing up where I did left me very few options for survival and as such I’ve imagined how I would die on numerous occasions. None of them, however, was ever at the hands of a walking, rotting, ravenous zombie.

Second, Ryan has a step-brother who lives in the neighboring town of Cabot Creek. Granted, the two have not seen each other in quite some time, but, we’re hoping it’ll be a place to hole up and get away from this mess.

And lastly, my general curiosity. I wondered how many people had survived this tragedy. There certainly weren’t many back home. The one saving grace in this whole mess was I got to watch my old man eat a bullet. I always knew he was a coward. This epidemic only proved it.

My dad was a drunken bastard whose time on earth only seemed pleasurable when he was tearing someone else down. He’d beat on me and my mom every chance he got; that is until she got the nerve to leave his ass. I, unfortunately, didn’t get that opportunity until I became of age. And right up until my 18^th birthday I took every punch, every kick, every beer-soaked insult that man had to throw my way so I make no apologies for the way I feel.

“I gotta take a piss. You awake enough to watch my back?”

“Yeah, man, I got you.”

I pulled the truck to the side of the road and hopped out. My legs groaned as they stretched for the first time in several hours. Sitting for so long—it seemed I had to learn how to walk again. My back ached, my right foot was cramped…hell even my ass had started to fall asleep. “Dude, get the lead out,” Ryan yelled from the cab of the truck. “I wanna get there before I get gray hairs like you!”

“Yeah, bite me,” I said, amiably shooting him the bird. “Maybe you can drive for a little.” He scoffed at the idea and I shook my head. Just as I thought. I sighed and hopped into the back of the truck. “Here.” I dropped a bag down to him and you’d have thought I threw a dead body with the way he jumped. “Relax man. They won’t kill you. Put ‘em on.”

“What’s this?”

“Clothes.”

“And what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Really? We’re driving a stolen military vehicle wearing civilian clothing. You don’t think that’s gonna appear suspicious once we get to town? Besides, the military commands respect and authority and my mom used to say ‘you catch more flies with honey.’” Ryan looked at me confused and I smiled. “Just trust me, alright?”

The world was a different place than when we first started and it’s taken quite a bit to make it this far. I'm an extremely lucky man, I thought, stepping behind cover before undoing my fly.  All those close shaves—could easily have gone either way.

It was late afternoon. The sun would be behind the mountains soon, bringing yet another successful day to an end. A wild rabbit zipped into my path and I jumped a little, startled by its presence. It turned to look at me and for a brief moment we stayed locked in each other’s gaze. Finally, it wriggled its furry nose and darted out of sight. It looked so free. The notion of freedom hit me hard somewhere deep in my gut. In some ways, I’d had more freedom in the last seventy-two hours than I’d had in my entire life. 

For the first part of my life I had my father telling me what to do and where to go. And after that it was the U.S. Army. But now, there were no worries or thoughts about what I was gonna do with the rest of my life. No concerns over money or work or even paying bills. No one to tell me when to sleep or when to wake up. All I had now was myself and Ryan and our only concern was staying alive. Sure, I was free, but freedom came with a price.

I looked over my shoulder at Ryan standing guard by the truck. He was an idiot sometimes but he was my best friend; more like a brother. We’d been through so much shit together and even when things were at their darkest, he stayed with me through it all. The thought that either one of us could be lying dead in a ditch at any moment left a bitter taste in my mouth. For now, we were alive and for that, I was extremely grateful.

A shot rang out, sounding much like a grenade explosion in this eerily quiet field. I quickly shook off, retrieved my sidearm and rushed back to the truck. “How many?” I asked, looking around for a body.

“Just one,” he said, pointing towards the front of the truck.

I followed his finger with my eyes and stopped, seeing the huge ass grin on Ryan’s face. “What the fuck?” The rabbit that was only seconds ago hopping freely through the shrubs now lay bleeding out on the hot, cracked dirt of this desert hell. “Dude, seriously?”

“What?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

“You need to stop randomly shooting things. Besides being a major waste of ammo it’s doing nothing but attracting more of those things towards us!” 

“Look around, Mat. We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere. There’s not been a living…or un-living, being for hundreds of miles! I think it’s pretty safe to say we’ll be alright.”

I sighed and looked again at the remnants of that poor animal. “Well? You coming?” he asked, hopping into the truck and slamming the passenger door. I shrugged and trudged over to the driver’s side. Shaking my head, I started the engine and Ryan and I continued towards our destination.

Yeah, I’m lucky. And with a friend like Ryan, sometimes it’s hard to believe just how lucky.

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