Z Day (Evening)

  EVERYONE ELSE

  “What do you think they’re doing?” Mark glanced at the door James and Shae had disappeared into an hour earlier.

  “What, you think they’re making out?” Becca asked, glancing up from the TV. More violence and mayhem were breaking out. A few channels were still playing regular TV, but most stayed with live broadcasts and mixed reports about what was really happening. So far, no one had mentioned the Z word.

  “Knowing him, who knows? But I doubt it; she didn’t seem to be in the mood,” Mark said.

  “What’s the deal with her anyway? She seems like a pretty cold fish,” Becca said.

  “Dunno. Last time I saw her was like 15 years ago. She was more like a mom figure back then, not your ‘cold fish.’ They were pretty hot and heavy for a long time, even engaged.”

  “Then she ghosted him, right?” Becca asked.

  “Yeah, he was pretty messed up about it, saying how we, his friends, just didn’t understand. I guess we didn’t back then. I mean, we were still in high school. We weren’t thinking about getting married. We were just thinking about getting laid,” Mark said.

  “And how about now?” Becca grinned at him.

  “Which one?” Mark grinned back.

  “With all this craziness going on, you think we should head back home?” Becca asked.

  Mark pondered it. “I dunno. I mean, we live in an apartment surrounded by tons of people. I don’t know how safe that is. Here, we’ve got other people who we know are decent.”

  “Most of them,” Becca added.

  “OK, most of them. I say hang out a while longer and see what happens. I mean, it's dark already. I don’t really want to go out there with those things running around right now,”

  Becca nodded. “Let’s stay here, at least until morning. Then we’ll see.”

  “Shit, shit, shit!” Miria bellowed, pulling a pan off the stove and pushing it to the rear of the burners. While James had his impromptu conference, she’d been trying to put something together for all of them to eat. So far, it wasn’t going so well.

  Richard got up from where he was inspecting the guns on the table and came over to help. “What can I do?”

  “Hire a chef?” Miria said, nursing her hand.

  He smiled and gave her a brief hug.

  “Just grab another jar of spaghetti sauce out of the pantry and take care of that, will you?” she indicated the burnt pan at the back of the stove. He kissed her on the cheek and did as she asked while she went to the sink and ran cold water over her hand.

  “Do you really think it’s zombies, like your brother says?” Richard asked, fishing around in the pantry.

  “You know, James has always been a bit odd, but I don’t think he’s nuts. I mean, Shae shot that guy, what, an hour ago? You seen a cop yet? The guy’s body is still out on the sidewalk,” she paused, thinking about what she’d just said.

  “I think all the cops are busy downtown. But do you really think the dead are rising?” Richard said, finally finding a new jar of sauce.

  Miria froze.

  It took Richard a moment to realize what he’d said, and he quickly went to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  Then Miria was crying, both hands on the counter to keep her from sinking to the floor.

  He turned her around and pulled her close as she sobbed.

  Becca saw what happened from the living room and silently took over cooking, nodding for Richard to take Miria away.

  Richard moved Miria to the dining room and sat her in a chair beside him, still holding her. Grabbing napkins, he dabbed at her face. She took the napkin from him and wiped her face.

  “I’m OK,” she choked, trying to get herself back under control.

  “I’m an idiot,” he sighed.

  She patted his cheek, “Yes, but you’re cute. It's one of the reasons I keep you around,” she grinned.

  “Lucky me,” he smiled back.

  ∞?∞

  SHAE

  By the time James and I emerged, dinner was prepped. The weapons had been moved to the back bedroom, and warm food now sat atop the dining room table.

  “Smells good,” James sniffed. “You didn’t let Miria cook, did you?”

  Miria shot him an evil look. “No garlic bread for you, come back one year.”

  “I’ll stand watch,” I said, relieving Mark. I needed some quiet time to absorb everything I’d just learned. James gave me a look, but I shook my head, and he headed for the table.

  Pagoda had made me forget about his bloodbinding me, something I didn’t think could be done. What else could he have hidden if he could suppress such a traumatic event? Could he have erased James from my memory? The idea of blanking out two years of memories…I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  Pagoda and I had been together over 10 years now. Was that real or something he made up? What all had he made me do since then that I don’t remember? I had to stop, it was a rabbit hole I couldn’t go down.

  Nothing I knew of had the kind of power Pagoda appeared to have. If James was breaking the rules of nature, perhaps Pagoda was as well.

  The others sat in the dining room and ate without much conversation. The news was still on in the background, but James turned it off. “I think we can do without it for an hour,” he said. The mood seemed to lighten a little once it was off, but there was still a nervous buzz in the air.

  Things took a turn when Miria brought me a plate of food.

  “I’m not hungry,” I shook my head at the food.

  “Nonsense, you gotta eat just like the rest of us. I’ll watch, you eat,” Miria said.

  “No, thank you, really,” I protested, trying to be nice about it.

  “Miria,” James said, watching the exchange from the kitchen.

  “What? I’m just offering her a plate. Is my cooking so bad your girlfriend can’t eat it?” Miria’s anger suddenly flared, causing me to shift uncomfortably.

  “She can’t,” James said flatly.

  “What do you mean she can’t? What is she a vegetarian or something?” Miria said.

  “I mean, she can’t eat right now,” James said, trying to calm Miria.

  “Oh,” Miria’s voice softened. “I’m sorry. Does your religion prevent you from eating right now or something?”

  I smiled to myself. For some reason, no matter how mad or nasty someone is, it’s like a set of invisible brakes when religion comes into a conversation. It makes everyone stop and rethink what’s going on.

  By this time, everyone was paying attention to what was transpiring in the front room.

  I looked at James and shrugged. “Uh, she can’t eat right now because her body won’t process the food. You see,” James continued, seeming to choose his words carefully, “she has a special condition that requires medication before she can eat.”

  I had to stifle a laugh. *Medication, he calls it.* It was true, though; I was running on empty. With all the exertion I’d done today, it had burned through the blood I’d had stored. If I were to eat right now, getting rid of it afterward would be an ugly process.

  “Like a diabetic,” Miria provided.

  “Yeah, but—” James started.

  I rolled my eyes at James’s attempts to lie for me, he was obviously not good at it. “I’m a vampire,” I cut him off before he could fumble through more of the lie. I glanced back out the window.

  This caused everyone in the house to sit up.

  “That’s one way to put it,” James sighed. “Well, huh.” James seemed to be trying to figure out where to go from there as everyone moved into the room.

  Turning from the window, “I’m not one of those idiot humans that file their teeth down at the dentist and pretend to drink blood. I’m also not crazy,” I added. “You’ve seen a zombie today; you might as well see a vampire while you’re at it. You’ll probably start seeing other things as well if this goes much further.”

  “Wait,” James started. “Are you saying you already knew there were zombies?”

  I smirked at him. “Of course not. The idea of the walking dead is ludicrous.”

  James smirked back at me.

  “Don’t give me that,” I said. “We’re not dead…not really…not like a zombie would be, at least.”

  James folded his arms and gave me an exasperated look.

  “Oh, don’t you start on semantics with me!” I barked.

  “You sure they weren’t married?” Becca stage-whispered to Mark.

  “Uh, kids, can we get back to the part where you’re a vampire?” Mark interrupted. “You’re not joking, are you?”

  I turned to him and picked him up with one hand, holding him up to the ceiling. Holding out my other arm, I pointed at Miria, “Feel my arm.”

  “It’s cold,” Miria said as she placed a finger on my arm.

  “Use your whole hand, make sure,” I said.

  Miria did as instructed.

  “Everyone, no groping, but touch my arm. My body temperature is well below yours but not as cold as a corpse,” I glared at James.

  James held up his hands in mock surrender.

  “Uh, can you put me down?” Mark gasped. “Thank you,” he said once his feet were on the ground and then he touched my arm.

  “So…uh, you’re not undead?” Richard asked.

  Shae sighed. “When I feed, my body ‘wakes up’ and I have all the characteristics of a normal person. But as time goes by, everything slows down and stops working. Eventually, if I don’t feed, I will die. Like dead. Like kicked the bucket—” I stopped. “Where did that come from?” I mumbled, having no idea why I said that last bit.

  James gave me a look of recognition I’d have to ask him about later.

  Becca slapped Mark’s hand away from my arm as he seemed to be lingering just a little too long.

  “Uh,” was all Miria could manage as she tried to take in more supernatural information, “and you drink blood?”

  I nodded.

  “How do you, you know…do it,” Mark asked as Becca elbowed him. “I was talking about drinking blood!” he yelped.

  “I thought you didn’t like vampires?” James asked Mark.

  “Oh, shut up,” Mark said.

  *This is weird,* I’d never talked with a group of ords about myself like this before; I wasn’t supposed to.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not crazy scary like the movies. I won’t go ripping any of your throats out or anything,” I said dumbly.

  A wave of unease at the mention of throat-ripping went through the group.

  “And on that note, I think we all need a drink for what’s coming next,” James turned to raid the liquor cabinet.

  “Why, what’s coming next?” Becca asked.

  It turned out all that was left were a few bottles of German wine James had sent home to his mom from overseas. Everyone but me took a glass and sat in the living room drinking.

  Once we were a bit more relaxed, I started. “OK, to put it simply, James is a super-soldier enhanced by the military.”

  James flexed his muscles in a mock body-builder pose, the effects of the wine kicking in.

  “The military used people who vampires had previously fed on. It seems there is a bit of fluid transfer during the process—” I said.

  “She said fluid transfer,” Mark snickered before being elbowed by Becca again.

  “Resulting in some minor changes to James’s physiology,” I continued, ignoring Mark. “Normally, this means nothing. But the government found a way, using drugs, to exploit this change and make…uh…super-James,” I grimaced.

  Again, James struck a pose. The entire room seemed to be relaxing the more the wine flowed.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “The problem is, the drug is addictive. If he doesn’t get it regularly, he’ll die. The more he uses his ‘superpowers,’ the faster he uses up the drug,” I said. I’d pulled all of this from James’s head during our bloodtouch.

  “Can you fly?” Mark asked, slurring just a bit and not getting an elbow from Becca this time.

  “Nope, but I can see through your clothes,” James wiggled his fingers at Mark and laughed.

  “OK, that’s enough wine for you, I think.” I took away James’s glass. For what was coming, I didn’t want him too intoxicated.

  “Wait, she fed on you back then, James?” Miria asked, “and you wanted to marry her?”

  Richard patted Miria on the shoulder gently.

  I ignored the comment and continued, “I believe the drug he took is a derivative of a blood agent.”

  “How do you know this?” Becca asked, her medical curiosity kicking in.

  I hesitated, “I don’t, it’s just speculation. But what makes a vampire and gives it its original power is the blood of another vampire.”

  “Were you planning on making my brother a vampire?” Miria asked, her voice full of hostility.

  I looked Miria in the eye. “I honestly don’t know. My memories from back then are…fuzzy. But I doubt it; there is a serious chance of killing someone just by trying.” I glanced at James.

  “And now?” Becca.

  “Now, becoming a vampire is probably the only way to save his life.” I held James’s eyes.

  The tipsy crowd was silent and then burst out noisily, voicing pros and cons.

  “Enough!” I had to shout to be heard over the crowd. “We’re trying to lay low here; keep your voices down!” I hissed, eyeing each of them in turn. I felt like a mom scolding her children.

  “Listen to me. You’ve all seen the news; you know his chances of making it to San Antonio are slim. The chance the courier made it is even slimmer. Even if he did make it and the medicine was there, what would he do after it ran out again?”

  I suddenly realized I was honestly worried about James. This man I’d only just met today. The man I knew next to nothing about. I didn’t want him dying on me, at least not until I got to the bottom of this mystery. The mystery, that was it. It wasn’t James I was worried about; it was him taking answers with him to the grave. That was the only excuse for what I was feeling. It had to be.

  “This whole thing will have blown over by then,” Richard said.

  “Really?” I flipped on the screen just as a report confirmed more outbreaks in Europe and South America. “You think it will blow over in time to save him? How long did it take Japan to recover from that tsunami? Or what about New Orleans and Katrina? Do you think the world’s going to recover from this any quicker? Look!” I pointed at the TV as aerial views of city after city on fire splashed on the screen.

  “Civilization is on a slippery slope. Protect yourself and the ones you love. Don’t trust that anyone is coming to rescue you because they’re not. You have to take care of you and yours.” I don’t know what had come over me, but I took a breath and tried to calm myself down.

  “As a vampire, James can survive on blood instead of the drug. That’s a lot more realistic, not to mention easier to be had,” I said.

  As if on cue, James’s body began to shake violently. “Oh crap!” managed to escape his lips before the seizure took him.

  I was beside James in a flash, sliding him out of the chair and to the ground where he couldn’t hurt himself. I ensured he kept breathing and stopped him from flailing into anything dangerous until it passed. I didn’t realize I was stroking his hair until his body finally calmed. I jerked my hand back from him as if he were a live wire.

  Miria was wiping James’s mouth with a washcloth and clearing away the sick from where his body had purged itself on the carpet. She looked into my eyes, and we shared a long moment.

  It was apparent Miria didn’t trust me. Not so much because I was a vampire, but I’d apparently broken James’s heart all those years ago. Miria could hate me all she wanted, but James’s condition was not my fault. Regardless of what may or may not have happened between James and me back then, he’d been the one who raised his hand and joined the military. It was still James who’d agreed to take the drug. I had nothing to do with that. Now, all I could do was deal with the situation.

  Besides, I felt I’d get called “home” soon enough, and there was no way I could resist Pagoda’s orders.

  Miria seemed to be having some internal debate before finally saying, “What do we have to do?”

  “Wait,” Becca interrupted. “You said the drug was a blood derivative. What if…can he just drink blood?”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know,” I said honestly.

  “What’s the worst that could happen? He gets sick and makes even more of a mess. Then you can do what you must,” Becca offered.

  I contemplated it. “I’ll need a volunteer,” I said finally.

  “Why can’t you do it?” Miria asked. “Didn’t you say the power had to come from another vampire?”

  “That’s for the turning. Besides, I don’t have much left myself, and I don’t know if the process will kill him or not. It doesn’t always work.”

  I looked around. “Someone untainted would be best.”

  “Untainted?” Miria asked.

  “I’ll do it,” Becca slurred, earning a startled look from Mark. “What? Do you think I’m going to let him make out with his sister? That’s just gross,” Becca wrinkled her nose at the thought.

  “You’re talking about drinking blood; that’s gross,” Mark countered.

  “I’m not drinking anything,” she patted him on the cheek. “Don’t get jealous; I’ll let her eat you later.” Turning back to me, “Now, hurry up before I sober up and lose my nerve.”

  I nodded and effortlessly picked James’s limp body up before carrying him to the bedroom. Everyone crowded around as I laid him on the bed.

  “OK, someone get some alcohol, bandages, and a towel.” I said. As Miria went off to get what was needed, I turned to Becca, “OK, sit on the bed against the headboard next to his head.” I used a couple of pillows to prop him up.

  As Becca got into position, Miria returned, handing the things to me with a look that was fierce enough to cause me to pause. “This won’t hurt him. The worst that could happen would be him getting a stomach ache and throwing it up,” I tried to assure her.

  “And the best is that he becomes addicted to blood,” she said flatly.

  I smirked and spread my hands.

  “Just do it.” Miria put her arm forcefully around Richard, who returned the gesture with a start.

  “Give me your arm.” I took Becca’s proffered arm and cleaned a spot on her wrist with alcohol. I spread the towel out on James’s chest. “OK, this will hurt for just a second until I can get it under control.”

  “Just hurry up already!” Becca said impatiently, a touch of hysteria in her voice.

  “Relax,” I tried to soothe her, but quickly gave up and took off my earring. I removed the small protective sleeve from the sharp blade and made a well-practiced slice.

  Becca didn’t feel the incision itself. But when the cut started to burn and sting, she hissed and squeezed Mark’s hand hard.

  “Ow, ow, ow!” Mark yelped.

  “Hush you, sissy,” Becca said through gritted teeth.

  I gently pulled Becca’s wrist to my mouth, and my tongue contacted Becca’s blood. Immediately, Becca’s body relaxed, and a euphoric smile spread across her face.

  “Oh,” Becca said. “That’s niiiiiice.”

  Having directed Becca’s thoughts, I ran the small open wound to James’s mouth.

  James resisted initially; I could tell the metallic-tasting fluid was thick and vile to him. He had to force himself to swallow and nearly vomited it right back up. He managed a second mouthful by sheer force of will but couldn’t take anymore. “No, stop…” he managed.

  James’s face took on an almost green tinge, and I pulled Becca’s wrist back to my mouth.

  “Hey!” Mark bellowed, but I held up a free hand to stop him.

  “It’s OK,” James managed; his voice was pained, and he coughed. “Her spit is a coag…co…it stops the bleeding,” he finally managed. He appeared to be fighting back another wave of nausea.

  My tongue worked vigorously over the small wound, pressing saliva into it while simultaneously claiming every life-giving drop. After a few moments, the wound had stopped bleeding, and I pulled it from my mouth.

  “Stupid!” I berated myself as I watched another wave of nausea rolling over James. I paused long enough to tell Mark to wipe her wound with the alcohol and dress it to be on the safe side. I knew they didn’t have to do any of this; the wound would already be sealed, but the show was for my audience. I hoped it made things look...I didn’t know. Less monstrous?

  I lashed out at James’s finger with the blade and pulled it into my mouth.

  Instantly, James’s body relaxed, and the greenish hue faded.

  I mentally kicked myself for not thinking of this first. I soothed his mind, forcing his body to relax and not rebel against the hot lump of blood in his stomach.

  “Do you have any orange juice?” I asked.

  Richard went to look and came back with a small juice box. When he handed it to me, I passed it to Becca.

  “Drink it slowly, and don’t move for a while. While he didn’t take much, the first contact can be a bit disorienting,” I mumbled, James’s finger still in my mouth.

  Becca nodded and tried to open the box but missed with the straw. Mark took care of it for her. Becca appeared lightheaded and slightly nauseous.

  I pulled James’s finger from my mouth and looked down at him a little later. I didn’t like what I saw.

  “What?” Miria asked quickly, noting the look on my face.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect. For now, let’s give it some time.” I peered into his eyes, checking for pupil action, “How do you feel?”

  “Like I just ate a car ashtray,” James mumbled.

  “I’ll get you some mouthwash,” Richard said, stepping away.

  “No, just water,” I interrupted. “I don’t want him gagging on the flavor.”

  “You think I’m gonna gag on that after what you just forced down my throat?” James said with a bit more force.

  I sighed. I hadn’t realized a part of me had been coiled like a spring, and now it slowly unwound. “You sir, are going to be fine.” If he was cracking jokes, he was already feeling better. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but I was pretty sure he would at least be able to keep the blood down.

  The sound of glass shattering outside drew our attention.

  “I’ll watch him; you go,” Miria told me as Richard reappeared with a glass of water and a trash can.

  I hesitated for just a moment before nodding and starting for the door.

  Miria took my place at James’s side. “How you feeling, big brother?”

  James rinsed his mouth and spat a mess into the trashcan. “I’ve honestly got no idea,” he rinsed again. “But part of me hopes this doesn’t work. I don’t know if I can do it a second time.”

  “We’ll take care of you one way or another,” Miria patted his arm.

  I could easily keep track of the conversation going on in the room as I made my way through the house, checking windows. My eyesight cut through the night as if it were day. None of the others could see more than a few meters before the blackness stopped them.

  The fact that I still tasted Becca’s blood in my mouth allowed me to keep a tentative feed from her mind. I could practically see what was going on in the room. As long as I stayed within the house, I could read most of her mind, at least for a few more minutes.

  The connection with James, though, was much more potent. It was aggravating that I didn’t understand why.

  “How are you?” Miria asked Becca.

  “OK,” Becca slurped noisily on the juice box.

  “How was it?” Mark asked.

  “Uh, it hurt. Duh,” Becca said.

  I could hear Mark shake out of his hand of squashed fingers. “Yeah, I know that, but…I don’t know—”

  “It was like skinning your knee until her mouth touched my wrist,” Becca said.

  “…and?” Mark asked.

  “The pain was gone. I could feel her tongue moving around, but there was no pain. Stop thinking dirty, Mark,” Becca scolded him. “You know how you get numbed up at the dentist? You can feel what’s happening, but it doesn’t hurt. That’s what it was like.”

  “There’s more,” James managed. “While in blood contact, a vampire can touch your mind and cause you to feel pretty much whatever they want. They can share ideas and even have a conversation. It’s quite intense,” he finished.

  “I’m sure it is.” Miria’s tone was not pleased.

  “What did she say to you, in your mind?” Mark asked.

  “Nothing,” Becca said, causing Mark’s face to fall. She shook her head and mussed his hair. His sometimes childlike innocence was one of the reasons she loved him so much. He could be so serious sometimes, but most of the time, he was the kindest and likable guy she’d ever met. He’d go out of his way to make you feel better and smack the person who’d hurt you. She smiled and kissed him briefly.

  I really didn’t need to know all of that, but this type of connection had the ups and downs of a roller coaster. One minute you’re getting surface thoughts, the next you’re reliving childhood memories. You never knew what you’d get.

  “What was that for?” Mark asked.

  “Just for being you,” Becca said.

  “Uh, guys. I am in the same bed with you. While a three-way sounds nice and all, let's wait for better timing,” James groaned.

  Becca slapped James’s chest, causing him to flinch. “Down, boy, you’ve already got my blood baby in there; don’t be greedy.”

  *I’ve got such weird friends,* James mused to himself for a moment before the reminder sent a rumble through his stomach and caused him to flinch. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he fought to keep his stomach under control.

  I considered going back in there, but James seemed like he had it under control.

  “Just in case,” Miria said, moving the trashcan closer to the bed.

  “Come on, guys, let’s give him some space,” Richard said, ushering them out of the room.

  “I’m going to stay,” Miria said.

  Richard nodded and left just as I stuck my head in.

  “Whatever it was didn’t happen close. Everything still seems calm out there,” I said.

  “Why don’t you keep watch a while,” Miria said as a way of dismissal.

  I considered a retort but thought better of it and left. I learned a long time ago to pick my battles.

  Miria placed a fresh, cool washcloth on James’s forehead. “Now you, I want you to close your eyes and rest a while. I’ll keep watch over you for a change.”

  James smiled. “Thanks, sis.” His body was exhausted. Drug withdrawal, a seizure, and all the emotional turmoil in the past 24 hours had taken their toll. James faded as soon as he closed his eyes.

  As he drifted off, the connection broke. I was glad; I wasn’t sure I wanted to see what sort of dreams he might have. My brain was confused enough as it was.

  Miria came out a while later. She leaned against the doorframe to the living room and was listening to the conversation that started but a moment before.

  “We can’t stay here,” Richard was saying.

  “Yeah, but where to go?” Mark asked.

  “We have to stay here a while, at least until James can travel,” Miria said.

  “But then what? In all those zombie movies, they always overran the houses in the cities first. Hell, it happened yesterday right in front of our eyes,” Richard pointed out the front window.

  “First off,” I started, “this isn’t a movie.”

  “This from a vampire,” Richard scoffed, then thought better of it, “sorry.”

  “Listen, this is a lot for everyone,” I said. “It’s too much for any rational person. But if we use our heads, we can figure something out. Now, we need a defensible place. That means it has to have some sort of sturdy fence. It also needs to be away from a lot of people, preferably with access to water.” The thought of taking them back to the compound had briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it just as quickly. I had a feeling this group wouldn’t fit in with our current residents.

  “We?” Miria said, looking at me.

  This gave me pause. Why was I throwing in with this lot? The obvious answer was the mystery surrounding James. But I’d be safe if I returned to the compound. Was the answer to this mystery worth it? Coming to a decision, I nodded at Miria.

  “Karen’s place,” Trish murmured, her first words since her initial breakdown upon arrival.

  I hadn’t even noticed the woman sitting in the corner. Last I saw her, she was in one of the back bedrooms asleep. I don’t think she’d even come out for dinner.

  “Yeah,” Miria agreed. “Our boss Karen has a ranch south of the city. It’s got cattle fences, and I think it’s on well water.”

  “Do you think she’s there?” I asked.

  “I’ll call her,” Miria turned and went into the kitchen to use the phone.

  “Did you get a hold of your mom?” Mark asked Becca.

  “No. I’ll try again later.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Mark soothed her.

  “Your mom here in town?” Richard asked.

  “No, she lives up on the lake in Georgetown. But I haven’t gotten her to pick up the phone yet. That might not mean anything as she’s kind of forgetful sometimes,” Becca said.

  “Father, or anyone else you need to check on?” Richard asked.

  “No,” Becca sighed. “My father passed away when I was younger. Only child and all that.”

  I hadn’t considered their families. It had been so long since I’d had one that it never even crossed my mind. Their families would be their priority right now. We couldn’t go off into seclusion without taking care of this.

  “Something else we need to consider is if we’re going to stay together or not,” Richard looked at Mark and Becca. You guys are more than welcome to stick with us if you want. If not, it’s too late tonight to go out there with those things in the dark. I suggest getting some rest and figuring it out in the morning.”

  The events of the night seemed to have helped sober everyone up.

  “Are you kidding?” Becca said. “We’re sticking with you guys.”

  “Yeah. Zombies and vampires? We’re not missing this show,” Mark grinned. “What about your folks? Both of mine are gone, but I have two sisters in Houston. I got ahold of them earlier; they seem to be fine for the moment.”

  “My parents are up in Chicago on vacation and not answering their phones. I don’t have any other way to get a hold of them,” Richard said.

  “Oh, sorry,” Mark said.

  “There’s no answer,” Miria returned from the kitchen.

  “You called your dad yet?” Richard asked her.

  Miria nodded. “No answer. Trish, what about your mom? Did you get ahold of her?”

  “Still no answer, but it's late. I’ll try again in the morning,” Trish said.

  “The Internet’s still working.” Becca was looking at her phone. “Do you think we should tell our friends what’s happening?”

  “Do you think they’d believe you?” I spoke up.

  “Hmmm...” Becca thought a moment. “I’m gonna try anyway.”

  “Um,” I started, making Becca pause. “Don’t mention anything about me or vampires, please.” When she gave me a puzzled look, I continued, “It might cause...problems. And I think our plate is quite full enough as it is.”

  Becca shrugged, “I doubt they’ll believe me about the zombies anyway.

  “So, how far is this place?” I asked Miria.

  “About 20 minutes southwest of here. It’s not that hard to get to. It would be easier with the highway,” Miria continued. “You think they’ve shut down all the roads out of town?”

  “I doubt it,” Richard shook his head. “I don’t think they have the manpower.”

  “But the news said the National Guard was called up.” Becca paused from her typing.

  “The Guard are just folks with families, like us. If you saw what was happening, would you stick around or head home to take care of your family?” Richard’s words brought silence to the room. “OK, so we'll leave as soon as James is on his feet. We can take my truck.”

  “And my bike,” I added. “There’s no way I’m leaving that bike,” I said with finality.

  “We can use Mom’s truck,” Miria said. “It’s older and a bit beat up, but she kept it running.” Miria turned to me. “The truck has a topper, so your bike should fit.”

  I reluctantly nodded.

  “So, the two trucks,” Richard said. “Do they have gas? No, OK, we’ll deal with that tomorrow.”

  “We should probably load them up,” Miria said.

  “Now? It’s dark outside!” Becca exclaimed.

  “Yes, but if something happens and we have to make a quick getaway, we need to be prepared to get. I don’t want to worry about trying to load up food and such while zombies are chewing on our heels,” Miria said.

  Everyone agreed and played musical cars, getting both trucks backed up to the garage without attracting attention.

  I watched from the roof as they loaded the two trucks with all the canned and dry food they could. They added bathroom supplies, blankets and everything that could hold water was filled and sealed.

  I only had to stop them once. We’d doused the lights, and everyone held still as dark figures shambled down the street. Once they were gone, we moved faster and squared things away. The entire time, we could hear sirens in the distance, as well as the occasional gunshot. It was Texas after all, everyone had a gun.

  In short order, we were as ready as we could be, and everyone tried to get some sleep. Trish had finally managed to get a hold of her mom. Turns out she was in Galveston for some conference for work.

  I stayed up and kept an eye on things, as I didn’t need much sleep. Not that I could have slept anyway. As time passed, more and more things popped into my head, keeping me awake all on their own.