Indead-ted To You

II

BENICIA

I sat in the room a few minutes more after Tommy had left. I needed to have a moment and really kick into gear because I didn't know what the hell was going on. My head didn’t hurt as bad, but I was sore where she had stitched me up. I opened my back pack, my phone! I opened Jace's bag, unfortunately, I had his phone. But no charger. Dammit and both were dead. I turned them off, placing them in my bag and taking his items from his into mine. Once I was situated, I took a deep breath and walked out of the little kitchen room.

I took a right down a short hall where at the end of it was the woman who had helped me, the owner and then him. Tommy. “Hi, Beni!” Cori greeted me, patting the stool cushion next to her. I slowly walked over taking my bag off. “How’s your head?” She asked. “Fine,” I answered, stunned by the plate that then gets placed in my space at the counter. “Chili. Eat up, okay? You need your strength.” The man, Joe said, winking. I nodded, “Thank you.”

I had forgotten how hungry I was last night when we were almost to Sacramento and kicked out of here before. So when I cleaned my bowl, he came over with a pot. “There’s plenty left.” Giving me two scoops more. I felt less light headed and more sound. Once I had finished, I watched as Cori talked to her dad as he tried to mess with a radio he had. No stations were on or seemed to be in range. I got up from my seat, walking over aimlessly to where Tommy sat. I sat in the booth opposite of him. He looked at me, emotionless. Nothing new there. I griped to myself. I was looked at like that my whole life. “Are you from here?” I asked quietly. He looked out of the window past its broken blinds. “Born and bred.” He said, low. I looked out to the broken down town outside. “I’m sorry.” He shrugged, “Nothing to be sorry about.” I watched him. He got up, and moved to the counter. “Did yall get anything?” Tommy hollered. “Not yet,” Joe called back. A few seconds later, Joe appeared with Cori, holding a medium sized radio. Just as they set it down, it made a weird whirring noise then a voice came on: “Any survivors, please find a haven’s camp outside of your biggest cities. Any healthy survivors. Seek a haven’s camp or lie low. The outbreak seems to be *static* people back from the dead.”

We all looked around at one another. “We got to get to one of those camps. Who knows how many weirdos are running around infecting people!” Cori said, hushed but stern. I nodded. “I need a car.” I murmured. “I need to get to Washington. My family is there and if my boyfriend is alive he’ll know to go there too.” Tommy and Joe scoff and whistle at my statement. It infuriates me! “What?” I ask, sharply. Joe clicks his tongue, “Honey you’re about 12 hours out still from Washington. On foot? God only knows.” Discouragement flooded me. But I didn't let it show. “Well, I need to get to them.” I said. “And what if they are not there, sugar?” Tommy asked, smugly. My discouragement only swelling in my chest. “God willing, right. But what are you going to do if they're not? Survive on your own? I had to save you today. You’re smart to stick with us- or those havens, I don’t care.” He said, shrugging, “But I’m not leaving.” A lump rose in my throat. f**k you, man! I thought. “I definitely don’t think it’s smart to stay here. What if they bomb it again?” I asked him now. “Don’t answer my question with a question, sugar.” He responded. I rolled my eyes.

“She could be right, daddy. What if they did? We wouldn’t be so lucky to know when again…” Joe sighed, “We may have to move. Maybe even just find a new home base until this all gets figured out.”

“Maybe we can all go to Washington? Together? My family home is large. At least until you figured where you wanted to be. The more the better in this predicament.” I proposed. Cori nodded at Joe, who looked at Tommy. Tommy sat nearby, curving a brow, “What?…” Tommy rolled his eyes at Joe’s knowing stare, sighing in defeat,“I’ll go where you go, Joe.” Joe nodded at that. And nodded for Cori to follow him. They began to chatter about packing light for food and meds for us. Tommy grabbed a black bag he had and headed for the front door. I suddenly became frantic inside! I instantly hopped up, lightly jogging up behind him. He turned to me, confused, “Where are you going?” I stopped, our eyes locked, “With you.” I said simply. Awkwardly looking around us. “Why is that?” He asked suddenly. I sighed, “Well, no one should go alone.” Even though he was a stranger and had held me a gun point, I did feel safe around him. Tommy’s mouth closed, pressing his lips together. “And what exactly is your presence going to do, if I’m saving you?” I shrugged and followed him the rest of the way out. He rolled his eyes hollering for Cori to come lock up behind us.

We walked for a little bit. Passed where he’d saved me. And made two lefts. It seemed like we were never going to stop until we came to a small house. “Is this your home?” I asked. He nodded, looking at it longer than I thought he might. Finally, trudging up in his heavy work boots into the home.

I waited on the porch outside the house, finding a bat near the chair I sat in. It was one of those Louisville bats. All wood. The sudden jangle of keys stirred my attention. Tommy stood, watching me. I cleared my throat, my mouth dry. His stare was so intense, it made me flush. I was thankful for my darker skin that it wouldn’t give it away. “Are you ready?” I asked him. He nodded, his bag a little more full than I last saw. I rose from the chair preparing to walk the few steps down from the porch when I felt a sharp tug of my bag from behind me! Suddenly I’m in the home of Tommy’s being pressed up behind the entry door wall and the door. Tommy in front me, his hand covering my mouth. He mouths a ‘Sshhh’. That’s when I hear it from outside. A little hum of groans and the sound of steps. My heart was pounding so hard, I just knew Tommy could feel it as we were pressed up against one another. I heard the wood of the porch creek! It made me hold my breath. Anticipating however many of those infected ones might just waltz in here. Tommy moved slowly, his body sliding against mine. Was he hard?! I thought, because when he slowly and silently slips from behind the door, I could've sworn I felt it. You’re weird, Benicia. I scolded myself. He slowly began to shut the door, and he did so just as it seemed they were about to come in. You could hear them now, slapping, pushing and groaning against the door.

I finally felt enough feeling in my legs to move from where Tommy had planted me to hide.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, his voice a whisper. I nodded, “I’m sorry. I should have been paying better attention.” I whispered back. Tommy’s head tilted, “Well, in the future you will pay better attention. But today, it all just happened. I didn’t see them either until I heard the grass from the side of the house. You’re okay.” He said, reassuringly. I felt so odd. Like I messed up but he did not think that. “Okay…”

I walked over a little closer to him. Trying to look out of the blinds that he was peeking out of. “How many?” “Four, maybe. I didn’t get the best look.” That mint smell was faint but I could still smell it. I happened to catch myself looking at him. He was older than me, but it couldn’t have been by too much. Even so, he had such a stoic and intimidating stance. His face was so serious. His clean shaven face now. I remember the stubble he had last night. I shook myself from staring at his face like a creep and noticed he had his hand on the handle of his gun in his waist band in front. My eyes widened, “The gun.” I said. Tommy turned to me, “What about it?” I paused, not sure what I’d even say. “I’d felt it earlier and it scared me.” I told the partial truth. He raised a brow at me, a small smirk formed on his mouth, “Oh okay.”

I stayed quiet after that. We had to have waited another 20 minutes when Tommy finally stood. “They should be gone. Come on, we’ll take the back door.” I got up from the floor, following him. He stopped by the back door, listening. My hand rested on his bag, scared to let go, especially once we left and went outside. He opened the door, surveying it. He motioned me to follow him out. We hustled down the back porch steps. I noticed a body bagged, with a grave dug partial beside it. Tommy didn’t even acknowledge it. We crept out the back, out of the yard. He turned to me, really close to my face, “Stay with me. Eyes on your surroundings and me. Yes?” I nodded. He grabbed my bag strap that dangled at my side, holding it tight. And we ventured back to the diner.

We walked up to the diner, luckily not coming across any infected on the way. This time, Tommy led us to the back of the diner. That’s where a mini van was parked and opened up, being loaded up by Cori and Joe. “Thank God, we were fixing to call the sheriff.” Cori joked, her smile looking relieved to see us, “We packed a lot of the dry stuff we could and water. Other than that we should be okay until we get to a safe haven camp.” “Sounds good. I brought what I could too.” Tommy said.

I took this opportunity to eat more and freshen up the best I could. I was in the women’s bathroom, drying my face, arms and hands. Cori came in. “Hey, we’re about ready to head on out.” “Okay, I’m coming.” I responded. She left me for a few moments. I threw on my sweater ditching my strained and dirty shirt from the night before. I looked back at my reflection. I had a bruised cheek and my lip was scabbing over. I huffed, shaking the emotion and fear that ran through me. Where was Jace? What had happened? The thoughts were haunting me, what could’ve happened. But when I thought like that, my knees threatened to give out. I put my game face on, took a deep breath, lugged my bag on and left the diner bathroom.

Joe and Cori were the last to get in the van. I was in the back behind the passenger seat. Tommy in front of me. Cori got into the driver seat, “I’ll drive, then Beni and you boys can figure out the night situation.” Everyone silently agreed, but it didn’t matter if we had, because Cori was starting the van once Joe got in. And we were off.

TOMMY

A few hours had passed. Driving on made me feel the already dying hope just flatline. There was nothing. No one. We made our way around Sacramento to be safe, but we had yet to come across a camp. “Wouldn’t we have found a camp by now if things were under control?” I asked Joe. Joe sighed, “I was thinking the same. But maybe it got bad enough that they’re scattered… got overrun. Hard to say, kid.” I let a weak chuckle escape at Joe’s forever nickname since I was a teenager. I was 40 now and he still called me that.

A couple hours more passed. Nothing. I noticed the tank was running low. “We’re gonna have to stop.” Joe said, reading my mind. The sun was setting. Not another life to be seen. I looked at the map, and we were coming up to a rest area. I hoped it wasn’t old and shut down. This map was older, and before this we had every which way and what to get somewhere without this large paper map in my lap like I was a pirate looking for treasure. Luckily, it wasn’t. It was just packed with abandoned cars and bodies. Some covered. Some not. “Ladies, mind your eyes.” Joe warned. I happened to look back at them. Cori had her eyes down but her shock stricken face told me she’d seen enough. But Beni, she watched it all. Her expression was dead. But her brown eyes jetted around. Observing it all. Taking it in. I wanted to know what she was thinking. What this all made her feel.

Joe came to a stop outside the cars piled up at the pumps. Putting us in park and shutting the van off. I grabbed my gun from my waist and c****d it. “Ladies, we got you but I suggest you find weapons to fend anyone- or thing- off, if we’re not close by.” They looked at one another, then back to me, nodding. I got out, scoping the area. I held my gun pointed low. It was starting to smell like decay. We got to be quick. I thought as I passed a car that clearly had children in it at one point. It was horrifying to think about what may have transpired, but to avoid ending up like that, we had to keep going.

We got to the big station's doors. A broom wedged from inside in the door handles, creating a loose barricade. But it wouldn’t give. I gave it a hard shake! Using all my strength. The broom almost slipped out. Just a little more, I told myself. I felt a gentle grab and pull from the crook of my elbow. The action pulled me away from the door. I whipped my focus on the gentle force. Beni? “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to keep my impatience at bay. “Stop. What if people are in there? We don’t want to scare them.” She said, removing her grip from my arm. I scoffed, placing a hand on my hip. “And what if they’re the ‘scary’ ones.? Huh?” I tried not to sound condescending but failed. She rolled her eyes, “Well, then we’re better off keeping it closed.” I shrugged, “alright well, I’ll get the gas.” And I walked away, grabbing the red gas containers from Joe.

Once I was able to cipher some gas from these discarded cars and fill the van and take some for the trip, I walked back to the van which the gang was waiting at. “All good?” Cori asked. I gave her a nod yes. We loaded up and went about our way.

Night had fallen. Only the vans lights illuminating the trees and road. I drove, Joe and Cori were asleep in the back. And Beni sat in the passenger. She was rummaging through the bag. “Did you lose something?” I asked her. “No,” she said quietly, “I was seeing if I had a charger. I have our phones and I was hoping to see if they work. If they can do anything to help us right now.” Her voice sounded choppy as if she was trying to not get emotional. “I think Cori had one. Check the middle console.” I offered. She listened. She got it all plugged in and it was quiet again. She said to herself, “Ugh, no signal. Geez.” She charged the other phone, doing whatever she was doing on it like she had the first. This time she was silent. So quiet I actually had to look over at her to make sure she didn’t houdini out of the front seat. She was there, eyes scanning the screen of the phone.

“Did you find anything?” I asked her, the slightest bit hopeful. More nosy and bored. She said nothing. “Alright then.” I said to the awkward silence. Suddenly, the light from the phone went off. “Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.” She said coldly. I felt like she wasn’t talking about service or news on the phone. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” I said, feeling off not saying anything to her hopelessness. “There’s nothing to figure out. The world has gone to shit.” She said out the window. I glanced at her, smirking, “I’m glad you said it. I didn’t want to be a dick.” She huffed a small laugh, “No use in sugar coating the obvious.” I agreed with a nod. And it was only minutes later when Beni gave a slow sigh, “My boyfriend's phone… he had messages with my cousin. Gina. You know, she’s a little younger than me… and they’re sneaking around behind my back.” I gripped the steering wheel with both hands, not really prepared for that. “I’m sorry you had to find out like that. He or she should have told you. Or better yet, not even engaged.” I said. I knew what that was about. More than I’d like to admit. She stared out of her window. In the darkness. “Look you’re young, in your 20’s, I assume. Maybe just spend time alone. You won’t have to worry about anyone hurting you then.” I advised. I suddenly felt her eyes on me, “I’ve been alone for a long time. Most of my life. I’m tired of it.” I looked at her. And for a brief moment we had a silent understanding. I knew exactly what she meant. Even with all the people around you, family, friends… you can still feel so alone. I didn’t deal with my family for long, other than granddad. Once I was in the system, my childhood ended.

Just as if a coincidence for this conversation to end was listening, I noticed a car on the side of the road, hood up, smoking. Two people emerged from in front waving us down. I gave a quick whistle, stirring the silence in the car, “Joe, we got company.”