No Longer Saving Yourself

The midwest gave way to bad weather. Storms were a constant; but today it looked like tornado weather.

"We've got to stop somewhere," Annie said. She could feel the wind blowing the vehicle around on the road.

"The road sign said there was a motel ahead," Rian replied.

"We might as well try. It's better than nothing," Cori answered.

Motels are conventionally scary places. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho played in the back of Annie's mind as they pulled in to the dilapidated parking lot. Paint was chipping from the exterior walls and the pavement was cracked and uneven. The window were surprisingly unbroken and while it looked dismal, it probably wasn't any different than it was before the outbreak. Whether or not that was a good thing, Annie hadn't decided.

"I bet it's infested with STD's," Jack shouted as they gathered outside the one long building, the wind overpowering his voice.

"Better than the virus I guess," Alex shouted back in response.

"Keys would be in the office." Annie grabbed a shot gun from the back, cocked it and headed off in the direction that the weathered Office sign pointed, hair whipping around in the wind.

Cori took off next, followed by Rian and Danny. Jack insisted on staying behind and Zack decided to stay with him. He didn't trust Jack to watch their one way out.

Alex lingered between the group heading towards the office and the vehicles.

"Just stay here Alex. I'm sure they'll be fine," Zack said. The boy retreated to the other two.

Annie and the rest of her assembled team paused outside the office door. Annie grasp the door handle; she could feel everyone holding their breath behind her.

"A little space?" she grumbled. Annie felt them take a collective step back.

Now with a little breathing room, Annie turned the nob.

The door didn't budge.

"Well, what now?" Danny asked.

Annie took a step back, tilted her head and neck back and forth to crack it, and kicked the door with her right leg. Hard.

The door moved slightly. The deep hollow noise rang through the air. There was a noticeable change in the air and the wind had stopped blowing quite as hard.

She kicked it again.

This time, the door gave and swung open, rattling in its frame.

As expected, the lights were out and the office was dark.

"Flashlight," Rian said, putting the device in Annie's hand. She gave him an face that read impressed and smiled.

"Thank you my dear," she replied.

Turning the switch to on, Annie shined the beam into the dark room. The light hit a lamp first, and then she panned it left and hit a row of bookshelves. Annie handed the shot gun back to Cori and pulled out a smaller gun. Shining the light over her gun like a cop in a drama crime show, Annie stepped through the door frame.

Everything was silent, both inside and out.

Then there was a loud crash.

Lightening rocketed down from the sky and thunder crashed above. The four looked back out the door and up towards the sky.

Bad plan.

A man, if you could call him that, appeared from behind the desk and stalked towards the group. He got close enough that he was a foot behind Annie. He was strangely silent and the group didn't notice.

Almost.

Annie was ready for him and connected her elbow with his face. Since she already had the antidote, she wasn't really worried. Sure, the dull pain in her leg wasn't pleasant, but it could be worse. Especially if this zombie had reached his goal.

"They always go for the jugular," Annie grunted as the zombie was caught off guard. She unloaded two shots into his head.

Another one appeared from behind the door.

These zombies seemed different. They had creepy smiles and moved in a smooth fashion. Almost as if it was a dance. Definitely not the staggering, clumsy, drooling and moaning type they were all used to.

"We need to get the fuck out of here!" Rian unloaded three rounds into the zombie that had been around the door but three more appeared in the small office space.

Annie began backing up, but stumbled over another one that was crawling on the floor. It was missing its legs. Danny managed to catch her before she fell. He also introduced the floor zombie's head to his shoe.

Cori and Rian had managed to get out quickly and Danny pulled Annie out the door.

This breed of zombie swarmed. They were coming out of the doors of the motel rooms. They weren't very fast, but definitely not what they were used to fighting.

The four sprinted to the vehicles. Alex was in the safety of his truck with Jack sitting in the passenger side. Zack, however, was trying rather unsuccessfully to dislodge one of the creatures that had grabbed him. It held on tight and he struggled.

The four stopped at the scene before them.

"These fuckers must have some sort of strength," Danny said, running to the other truck before one of the zombies could open the door. He pulled the rather plump zombie, that appeared to be female, off the door and sent it stumbling to the ground. He fired two shots into its head but it still kept crawling towards him. He screamed a little and jumped in the truck.

Cori sprinted after Danny, but instead of joining him in her usual vehicle, she climbed into the yellow Hummer and pulled up to Rian and Annie. Rian climbed in while Cori tossed Annie one of the guns and a small bag containing ammunition. Annie nodded, put the bag in one pocket and stuck the gun in the waist band of her jeans before running off to the other car.

The two trucks and Hummer pulled out of the parking lot, going back onto the highway and away from the quickly growing infestation, leaving Annie and Zack to fend for themselves.

"Bring it," Annie said under her breath. She sprinted towards Zack who was now struggling with another zombie.

The creatures slowly closed in on them. Annie began shooting, but they didn't stay down long. She pulled out her machete and decided to try dismemberment.

However, the first zombie she encountered was a child. A little girl. While this little girl looked nothing like her sister, Annie's mind shifted to the day her own little sister came towards her. She shook the memory out of her head before slicing the blade through the girl's neck. Its head and body disconnected and fell to the ground. This time, neither moved.

Annie had discovered how to beat them.

As she got closer to Zack, she saw that the two he was still fighting had bullet wounds. She felt a little bit of relief, knowing he had tried to stop them and they didn't just sneak up on him. That would concern her more than their already unpredictable behavior.

Zack was losing stamina. Before Annie could reach him, one of the zombies, another female, bit into his shoulder, close to his jugular. The other latched on to his arm.

"No!" Annie shouted. The two zombies attached to Zack looked in her direction. Zack crumpled to the ground as the two let go of him, their eyes on a new prize. They were much more conscious than any other zombies she had encountered.

Welding two huge machetes, Annie felt a surge of energy. Dozens of the zombies were getting closer to her, abandoning Zack for the girl with adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Annie panicked for a moment, trying to think of a plan to get to Zack and help him into the Hummer while still fending off the zombies. But Zack began to stand up with the help of the vehicle's hood. Annie's attention could now focus on the zombies starting to circle her.

There were dozens. All shapes and sizes, remains of several tourist families traveling through the area. The area was quite busy in the spring and when the virus hit, it ran through the travelers light fire.

Annie took off running, weaving through the zombies who seemed to be slowing down. It was like they were wind up toys losing steam.

With this small blessing, Annie was able to reach Zack and the Hummer within fifteen seconds. Zack was already climbing into the passenger seat, unable to use his arm and wincing as he moved his shoulder as blood poured from his wounds. He also had a gash on his leg, also providing evidence of another zombie bite.

Zack closed the door right as Annie opened the driver's side. Kicking one of the zombies in the head, she closed that door too and started the car. It stalled.

"No no no," she said quietly, trying again. And again.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed.

Zack reached over and moved the gear shift.

It had at some point been switched into drive instead of park.

Annie turned the key again, turning over the engine. Moving the mechanism again, she put the huge vehicle in reverse and swung the car around. The car shook as it made contact with a few of the bodies. Moving into drive, she sped towards the highway.

Griping the steering wheel, Annie tried to slow her breathing. When Zack moaned next to her, she pulled out of her trance.

"Oh god Zack," she said softly. He was writhing in pain in the passenger seat, trying to press his shirt into his arm wound but he could feel every pulse of his heart in the shoulder wound.

With the new goal of finding a safe place to stop, Annie immediately put the pedal to the floor. The needle of the speed gauge moved closer and closer to 90. And then 100.

"Good thing there aren't any cops," Zack joked. He chuckled slightly and then winced at the movement. Annie could hear him sharply inhale. She could have sworn there was a whimper in there too.

Once she felt like they were a safe distance from any surrounding areas where zombies could be lying and waiting, Annie gradually eased up on the pedal and finally stopped the car. She didn't want the jolts of using the break to cause Zack any more discomfort. When she put the car in park and turned off the engine, Zack gave her a curious look.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked, wincing again.

"You're an idiot if you expect me to answer that question."

Annie turned around and rooted around for the first aid kit.

"Annie, start the car," Zack said seriously.

"Huh?" she asked, turning around.

A zombie was hanging off the roof of the car, its grasping arm visible as it tried to make contact with the windshield.

"How the hell did it stay on? And why didn't I notice?" Annie asked, restarting the car and quickly attaining speed.

"I'm sorry baby but this might hurt." She grabbed the hand of Zack's hurt arm and gave it a squeeze, not caring if it hurt him.

Slamming on the breaks, two zombies crashed forward in front of the SUV and landed on the ground in a pile. Almost flooring it, Annie took down the two quickly.

"I wonder if they're in the under carriage. Or there are any more on top," Annie said. She glance back over at Zack and saw him taking shaky breaths.

"We've got to get you fixed. And soon. I'm going to do the same thing and then check the car. Is there any chance they could be in here?" Annie asked.

"No. The car was locked," Zack said, throwing his head back and biting his lip.

Annie didn't want to think about how they were going to get back to their friends. Annie didn't want to think about Zack being in pain.

And most of all, Annie didn't want to think about not having the antidote and risking Zack turning before it could be administered.

But most of all, Annie didn't want to think about the probability that she would have to shoot Zack some point in the forty minutes or so. Or that she might have even less time with a normal Zack because of the strange state of the zombies that bit him.

The needle again surpassed 90 and ticked towards 100. Watching the clock on the dash, Annie kept the car moving for two minutes. She didn't know for sure, but she had somewhere around twenty minutes left.

Stopping again, Annie pulled the gun out of her waistband, even though she knew it would be useless in the long run if they did have company. Giving another gun to Zack, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Closing it quickly she moved away from the vehicle, checking both the roof and undercarriage of the Hummer. Satisfied that it was clear, she returned to the driver's side and climbed in, locking the doors as it closed.

Zack was clearly sweating and shivering. Annie knew he was in shock, and quickly pulled out the first aid kit. Pulling out gauze, athletic tape, antiseptic and a few tablets of ibuprofen, she put the box back and grabbed a bottle of water. Pouring a little of the water on one of the gauze pads, she removed Zack's hand from his arm. It was no longer bleeding as fast as before, but the blood loss worried Annie in reference to time. Another five minutes had gone by.

Annie cleaned Zack's arm wound; first with water and then with the antiseptic. He winced and took a sharp intake a breath, but Annie kissed his unscathed shoulder as she pressed the pad to the wound repeatedly in an attempt to sooth him. Satisfied that it was clean enough, Annie quickly wrapped gauze and athletic tape around the teethmarks, forming a makeshift bandage over the wound.

Moving on to his leg, she gave it the same treatment. This time, she kissed Zack's lips to distract him. Forgetting the pain, Zack moved his injured arm behind her neck and pulled her closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Abandoning the gauze, Annie's hands tangled in his hair and enjoyed the kiss. She didn't know if she would have the opportunity to feel his lips on hers again. Ever. As she began to climb over the console, the ammunition bag fell out of her pocket. Pulling away from Zack, she picked it up. It wasn't ammunition. There was only one cylindrical object in the bag. Annie crossed her fingers and turned the bag upside down.

Out fell a vial of the antivirus. Tears formed in Annie's eyes as she looked at the liquid inside. If Cori had been there, Annie would have tackled her to the ground. Sighing in relief, she returned to the first aid kit and pulled out one of the empty syringes. After watching her mother do it a thousand times to her grandmother with diabetes, Annie quickly filled the empty tube and flicked out the bubbles.

Distracting Zack again with her lips, she stabbed his good arm with the syringe and injected the antivirus. She could feel him flinch. But when she removed the needle, his body fell into a relaxed posture.

Finishing up his leg wound, Annie made Zack turn so she could get to his last wound. Satisfied with her work on that one as well, she turned him back around.

Gazing into his eyes, Annie searched for any sign of changing. She only found the look of someone in love.

"You're always saving me," he whispered, taking one of her hands in his.

"Not true. You've done your fair share," she responded.

Giving Zack a quick peck on his lips, Annie restarted the car and kept them moving forward.

The sky was still dark and ominous, although they had yet to hear any more sounds of a storm. It was still only lightly windy now, so the Hummer had been moving a lot easier on the road.

Not fifteen minutes later, Zack was out like a light. Annie tried to radio to the other cars, but got nothing.

But through the crackle, she heard another voice. It was becoming clearer as they inched on.

"If there is... out there.... Rachel Fuller... looking for surviv-..." Annie slowed down until it became completely clear.

"If there is anyone out there, my name is Rachel Fuller. I'm with a caravan of people looking for survivors. Look for the high rise apartments off the main drag." The message kept repeating. There was a possibility that it was an old message, but Annie figured they might as well try. It wasn't looking promising of finding the rest of their group tonight.

Turning off the highway, Annie drove cautiously into the complex's parking lot. Spotting three familiar vehicles, her heart slowed down and she almost started crying.

Annie stopped and parked next to the other Hummer. Alex and Jack were coming towards them from the apartment building with a spring in their step. It appeared like things were looking up.

"Zack," she cooed, running her fingers up and down his arm. Moving over, she began kissing up his neck until she reached his ear. She licked the lobe before whispering to him again. She could feel him shift and she pulled away, meeting the smile on his face that mimicked hers.

"Let's go see everyone," he said, climbing out of the Hummer carefully.

Annie followed suit, quickly running around to the other side of the car to help Zack. They were greeted not only by their friends, but at least a dozen other people.

"I'm Rachel Fuller," a girl said, stepping forward to greet the two additions.

"I'm Annie. And this is Zack." They shook hands politely.

"We've heard a lot about you. But I've got to ask first, has he been treated?" Rachel asked. Zack turned to show her his arm; the pin prick of the needle had left a small mark graced with a small circle of dried blood.

"Good. We're setting you up with some rooms. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, but Cori says you have some other plans. Some of us might join too if you don't mind. But there is plenty of time for that. Come on, we'll show you around and then we'll get some dinner started." Rachel ushered them into the building, the others following.

Annie wondered if they should be worried about the hospitality, but she hoped for the best. However, she'd be sleeping with one eye open and a gun under her pillow tonight.