took me moments longer for the fog to lift.
'Zombies!' I yelled, hopping out of the cot I was in, my legs giving out as fast as I tried to stand. The resulting heap I made on the floor was not a flattering sight.
BT had not left my side since I had collapsed from exhaustion. I was to later learn it was more to do with the company we were keeping than any outright concern he had for me. 'Mike, Mike,' BT said, standing from the chair next to my bed that I had not noticed previously.
'Zombies, BT. We gotta get out of here.' My lips were pulled back in fear, my eyes so wide the whites were showing all around. 'Where is everyone else?'
'Mike,' BT said grabbing me by the shoulders to help me back onto my cot. 'We're okay,' he said, gently placing me down with no more difficulty than a child would have putting their favorite toy away. My legs were still flailing. I was more than a little self-conscious about it and placed my arms on them, trying to slow them down. 'They've been doing that since we got here,' BT said pointing to my legs. 'Was freaken the shit out of me for the first couple of hours. Kind of used to it now, can damn near tell time to their rhythm.'
'I'm glad I can be a source of entertainment for you.'
BT got grave seriously quick. 'Mike, I know we've been through a lot and I count you up there with some of my best friends but what you did back there….' BT sniffed. 'Man, I don't know that anyone I've ever known my entire life would have done that for me except maybe my mom.'
'She as big as you?'
He laughed. 'No, she might have been 110 after Thanksgiving dinner but she was tough as nails. Mike, I don't know that I can ever repay you.'
'BT, this isn't about keeping score. It was just my turn. Next time though it's on you.' BT did something very uncharacteristic for him and leaned down and gave me a hug. I accepted mostly because I was too tired to do anything else.
'I'm gonna go get your wife,' he said, standing up. My shoulder was suspiciously wet from where his cheek had rested.
'One thing, BT.'
'Yeah.' He stopped.
'Where the hell are we?'
'You don't know?' he laughed as he left.
I heard footfalls coming down the hallway towards my room. Unless Tracy had gained 100 pounds and now had combat boots on, this wasn't her. I was apprehensive, even if BT had given me no reason to be. Paranoia was the foundation from which I had survived thus far. I did not see a reason to deviate from the norm, distorted as it might be.
I could see nothing as the figure stopped in the doorway and was now silhouetted in the light from beyond him.
'Happy Birthday little brother, what took you so long?'
'Ron? Ron!' I jumped out of the bed to only be met with the previous fate. Isn't that the definition of insanity, to repeat the same action over and over, expecting different results?
'The one and only,' he said, picking me up and placing me back on the cot.
'Getting a little sick of that.'
'Eh, stop trying to stand and it won't happen.'
'That's what the world needs…a pragmatist.'
He gave me a hug to rival BT's. 'Didn't think you were going to make your own party.'
'Wasn't so sure myself.' I told him.
'I've heard.'
'Yeah?'
'Nicole has been telling us your story from the day it started. She's damn near a tape machine the way she plays it back.'
'I know. Where are you up to?' I asked him.
'When Paul and Alex left to go down South.' Two more souls I missed. 'Are you up for joining us?' His affirmative nod left unspoken that the extended Talbot clan was in good shape, if not whole.
'I don't think I'm ready, Ron.' That had more to do with listening to Nicole's retelling of our story than anything else. I could not go through those losses again, not now, not ever.
Ron, as intuitive as ever, picked up on my mood. 'We need a break anyway, Mike, Nicole can finish the story later on. I've had to keep Dad on a leash from busting in here every twenty seconds.'
'Alright, but I can't walk and I'm sure as hell not going to let you carry me in there.'
'Got that figured out,' he said, leaving the room and coming back quickly with a wheeled office chair.
'That'll do, I guess.'
'One more thing, Mike,' Ron started, as he got me into the chair. I looked up at him. We've been over this ground, nobody prefaces anything good with 'One more thing…' and ends it with 'you've won a million bucks!!!!' It's always more along the lines of 'One more thing…I ran over your cat.' 'Naw, maybe I'll just let you see for yourself,' he said as he began to wheel me out of the room and down the hallway.
'Is it about Dad?' I asked nervously. We had lost Mom not so long ago and I was concerned that it might have been too much for him.
'Dad? Hell no. This zombie stuff has been the best thing for him.'
'Really? How the hell is a zombie apocalypse the best thing for anyone?'
'He's been doing what you have been doing Mike, protecting his own. It's brought a spark to his eye that I thought Mom's death had permanently extinguished. Come Spring he was planning on making a trek out to get you.'
'Are you kidding me?' I asked incredulously.
Ron shook his head. 'He's been worried sick about you guys. If the weather hadn't been so crappy he would have left a month ago. I've been barely holding onto him telling him that if you were alive you'd be trying to get back here.'
'If?'
Ron shrugged his shoulders.
I shrugged my shoulders too. Hell, the Colorado Talbots almost bought the farm on Day One and it hadn't gotten much easier since then.
'So what then?'
We were turning into the kitchen. My eyes immediately teared up. The kitchen was packed way past fire code. Besides Tracy, Carol, Nicole, Justin, Travis, BT and Henry, there was also my Dad, my sister Lyndsey, her husband Steve and their son Jesse. Ron's wife Nancy stood to the side with their kids Meredith, Melissa and Mark. Standing somewhat at the position of attention, seemingly guarding the gathering was something that used to pass as my brother Gary.
His head was wrapped in what once was a red bandanna. It had been washed one too many times and now suspiciously resembled what one might buy for their eight year old daughter. His outfit was a hunter camouflage arrangement. On his camo clad pants was tied the largest bowie knife I had ever seen, and his mismatched combat boots were quite literally the kicker.
'What gives?' I whispered to Ron.
'He thinks he's Rambo.'
'More like Gambo,' I said without thinking. For all the extended Talbot clan that was in presence there were some notable absences. Ron's oldest daughter Melanie was not here and neither was my brother Glenn, along with his wife and three kids.
'Have you heard anything?' I asked Ron as I scanned the room.
A look of sorrow and worry crossed his face. His tight lipped stare made me think an answer was not forthcoming. Finally he said, 'Melanie called from Massachusetts the night it started, said her boyfriend had beat her up, even bit her a few times.'
My heart sank.
Ron pressed on. 'At the time I just figured he had been an asshole whose ass I was going to have to kick eventually, I just wanted my baby home and I told her that.' He paused to wipe his hand over his eyes. 'We haven't
