She brakes and stares as the old woman comes her way. Her face is clear of the black veins that some of them develop as the rot spreads throughout their body. Her hands are free of broken nails and her skin looks healthy. So why does she hesitate over the window button? Why doesn’t she open the door and hustle her inside?
Because of the brush she clutches in her hand, forgotten. Something about that strikes her as weird and so she doesn’t make a move when the woman presses a hand against the glass. “Help me!”
“What’s your name?” she calls, knowing the woman can hear her.
The woman cocks her head like a dog might when hearing something interesting. It’s in that almost alien movement that she has her answer. The woman opens her mouth and flashes yellowed teeth. “Help. Me.” The other hand flies up, the one with the brush, and slams into the window. It makes her jump but of course the window is fine. “Help. Me,” the old woman insists. “Help me!”
She eases off the brake and rolls forward, not wanting to bump the old woman, though she doesn’t know why. Maybe it is because of her resemblance to her grandmother, or maybe she’s just tired of violence.
The movement of the SUV against the press of the old lady’s body spins her, despite its speed. Her legs tangle in each other and she goes down. When she looks in the rear view, the lady is on the ground, hand out, plaintively wailing. Her heart lurches painfully but she keeps her foot on the gas. Turns the corner. Breathes a guilty sigh of relief when the woman is no longer in sight.
Maybe it would have been better to die right away.
This isn’t the first time she’s thought this and it certainly won’t be the last, but as she turns the words over in her head, she thinks back to those first fear-filled hours and wonders if it wouldn’t have been better if they’d gone to sleep in Trinie’s attic and never woken up again.
8
Then
I woke when Lana called out in her sleep. The words were mushy, as they often were when coming from a dreamer’s lips, so I only caught the fear and not the meaning. I lifted myself up onto an elbow and gazed down at her, her brow slightly furrowed. There were fine lines at the corners of her eyes now, and heavier ones around her mouth. Her laugh lines, strong and deep and well-used. I could see the ghost of what she’d looked like years ago, that young woman I’d fallen in love with and I couldn’t help thank my lucky stars I’d gotten so lucky as to be able to grow old with her too.
After her face smoothed out and soft puffs of breath escaped her lips, I eased out of bed and tiptoed downstairs to use the bathroom. My hair was wild, so I wet my fingers and ran them through the strands, glad as always I kept my hair short. When I was finished—though wishing for my toothbrush—I ran into Tonia in the hallway. “Good morning. How’s your aunt?”
She shrugged and tugged at the sleeve of the baggy shirt she wore, obviously borrowed from someone much bigger and older. “Scared. We tried calling my daddy but the phone isn’t working. There’s an emergency broadcast on the radio saying we should stay in the house with the doors locked. That this will all be over soon. Military is coming in, I guess?”
“Is there a radio I can take upstairs to listen to?”
She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, coming back out with a small radio that looked like it had come right from the 80s. “Just put it back on the kitchen counter when you’re done, okay?”
“I will. Thank you.”
Her hollow eyes told me more than any words could. I wasn’t a hugger like Lana, but I offered one anyway and she took it, squeezing tight for a long while before disappearing into her aunt’s room.
I went upstairs and plugged in the radio, slowly scanning the dial to see what I could find. The familiar emergency broadcast tones sounded and I leaned in to listen, having turned the sound down as far as I could to keep from waking Lana. “This message is being broadcast by the Douglas County Sheriff’s department. At 7PM Central Standard Time, on October 29th, 2020, the CDC sent word to emergency service professionals across the nation about a fast-moving, highly-contagious disease that causes those infected to become extremely violent and aggressive. They believe this disease is caused by some sort of virulent parasite that is able to restart the human brain and hijack the body’s systems so that it can continue spreading the infection to as many people as possible. The parasite can only be transmitted through bites or direct ingestion of the parasite’s eggs. At this time there is no known cure. Citizens of Douglas County are strongly urged to stay in their homes with their doors and windows secured. Do not go outside. Do not attempt to help the infected. The infected have been observed to use human speech to lure the unwary close in order to attack them. If you or someone you know has been bitten, please quarantine in a room away from healthy survivors. Do not attempt to care for the wounded. We repeat: stay indoors with doors and windows secured. Do not attempt to help the infected. Emergency service personnel are working tirelessly to contain the infection. Cooperate with local police and fire and rescue officers. This message is being broadcast …”
I turned it down when I heard Lana stir behind me. Her eyes were on me when I moved to get my phone. Excitement thrummed through me when I saw the messages. “The boys are all right still. They are inside, doors and
