Respect the Dead. Shawn McLain
opened his mouth but stopped He glared at his laughing friend. His attention was caught by the sound of an animal crashing through the brush just out of their headlight glare. He strained his eyes to see what it was. Only darkness stared back.
“Well, you didn’t get anywhere, maybe she prefers…” Lance started but was silenced by a hand held up by Corey. Smirking, Lance decided to get a fresh bottle this thought drown out the other so instead he asked, “So what do you want to do about it?” An innocent look crossed over Lances's face as he blinked repeatedly trying to clear his vision.
“Oh, we’ll get him. I doubt the tires on that hunk of shit he drives are long for this world.” Corey spat.
“We’ll do it tomorrow night." Lance pushed himself off of the side of the car. He swayed for a second. "I want to hit the party tonight.” He continued stumbling over to the edge of the road.
Corey nodded, “Come on man let’s go! I need to get wasted after this crap.”
Lance waved over his shoulder, “I’ll catch up. I gottsa take a piss.”
“All right, I’ll meet you over at Linda’s” Corey was in his car a moment later he sped off.
Lance listened as the car rumbled down the road. Swaying slightly, he began to relieve himself. The snapping of a fallen branch reached his ears. He looked up as something large was moving around in the brush. Straining to see through the darkness and his alcohol impaired vision, he staggered slightly losing his balance for a second. Shaking his head, he decided it was nothing. He turned to stagger back to his car. His foot slipped on the spot where he had made the grass wet. Trying to recover he tripped over a log.
“Shit!” he laughed. “Guess I’m pretty messed up.”
“UUUUNNNGGHHHH” cried out the darkness. Lance flipped over, staring around for the cause of the sound. Even in his stupor, fear gripped his heart.
“Who’s there?” He shouted. Another groan followed by the heavy rustling of leaves and brush answered him. A figured appeared in the pool of light from his headlights. His head snapped around to the shadow cast across his vision.
He looked up and saw a woman, the woman he almost hit, shuffling toward him. She was dragging a leg that was covered in blood. The front of her shirt was also stained deep, dark red. She held out one arm toward him. She was moaning as she continued closer and closer.
Lance pushed himself up to his feet staring at the woman. “You OK, lady?” He asked in a whisper as he began to back away. He pray her injuries were not of his making.
A crashing sound to his left alerted him to the presence of a man. His face was bruised and bloody. His teeth were bared as he moved toward Lance. Lance began to edge toward his car when an arm grabbed him by the throat. Pain shot through his shoulder.
He wrenched himself free. He was shocked as he looked into the gaunt face of another woman. Fresh blood, his blood, dribbled down her chin. Now the man grabbed him as Lance tried to back away from the shriveled woman. Fresh pain burst forth from his arm as the man bit into his flesh. Lance screamed to the trees and empty bridge as the pale woman from the road joined the other two.
A couple of hours later, Corey mumbled something about Lance never making it to the party then passed out. Linda and Wayne didn’t notice.
It Started as a Nice Day
Lying in bed, Wes relived the events of the night over and over in his mind before falling into a fitful sleep. His dreams began with Beth but ended with the man banging on his hood. The man was coughing, pounding and scraping on his door trying to get him. Wes woke up terrified. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. He stared around the room for a moment before he realized it was morning. He was safe at home.
Wes hurried down the stairs feeling happier than he had in months. The morning couldn’t move fast enough knowing he had a date with Beth that day. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, his good mood met its first trial.
His mother got quickly up from her chair in the living room hushing him. His stepfather was sleeping on the couch. “He couldn’t sleep in the bed last night. He kept coughing,” she whispered leading Wes into the kitchen.
“I was going to go over to Beth’s later.” Wes looked back into the living room at the back of the couch. “Do you want me to stay home to help take care of him?”
His mother gave him an appraising look then smiled. “No, no. I’ll call if I need you. He seems to be sleeping finally. It might be better if I got you out of the house for a while actually. You are always such a troublemaker.”
“You know me, Mom. Loud and disruptive.” He gave his mother a hug, “Seriously Mom,” he looked her straight in the eye, “call me if you need me, OK?”
“You’re such a good boy.” She smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Making a gagging noise, he smiled at his mother and slipped out of the house. His good mood disintegrated almost immediately. In the driveway sat his car with four flat tires."Asshole Corey." He muttered as he crept back into the house. His mother was still in the kitchen, she looked at him questioningly. He whispered his explanation. Then retreated to his room, anger making him shake from head to foot. Pacing his room a few times to calm himself, Wes dialed Beth’s number.
“Hey when are you coming over?” She asked happily.
“Not for a while, seems that someone flattened my tires. Mom wants me to call the police.” Wes explained.
“Oh Wes, I’m so sorry. Do you think it was Corey?”
“I would bet anything. Tell you what, let me call the call cops and get this sorted out. Shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
“Do what you need to. I’m not going anywhere. Oh and just so you know I told Steve about what Corey did. He is pissed. I’ll let him know about your tires. He may have an old set in the garage.”
“Thanks, I’ll call you in a bit.” Wes hung up, took a breath then dialed the police. There was no answer. He didn’t think this warranted a 911 call but after he had tried all the extensions the automated service would allow. He tried again. He had been at it for twenty minutes when his mother knocked on his door.
“Reg is worse. We are out of cold medicine. I am running out to the store, please stay home and keep an eye on him until I get back.” Wes could see how scared his mother was. He hadn’t seen her look like this since before they left his real father. He nodded as she quickly descended the stars. Wes followed her. As soon as he stepped into the living room he could see his stepfather looking pale and sweating. He was asleep. Wes' mother was out the door so Wes crept back up to his room. Closing the door he called Beth.
“What did the police say?” She asked.
“I never got through. Reg is really sick so Mom went out to get some meds. I’m going to hang out til she gets back then head over, if that is cool?”
“That seems to be going around. Dad said several guys didn’t make it in to work. So He had to go in today.” Beth explained. “Not enough people to handle the work.”
“Yeah apparently Reg is coughing and feverish. Mom is really worried.” Wes felt better talking to Beth. He always felt better talking to her. The McDaniels had always been there for him and his mom. Beth’s dad had actually introduced Reggie to Wes’ mother.
“Apparently it is some kind of an epidemic.” Beth explained recalling Wes to the conversation. “Steve is out talking to another school about a playing and Dad is at work so I’ve been watching TV. It is on all he channels.”
Wes turned on his own TV and began to flip. He quickly changed channels until he found the news stations. A block he usually skipped. All of them were reporting on the illness. There had been several reports of violence; people attacking each other, sometimes for medicine but most others seem random.