89.4 Zombie Radio

Layla and I were sitting in the back of the bus, quietly discussing what we had left to do. We were in Tennessee, which meant we had Georgia and all of Florida to travel through. So far, Jack had been doing a great job at driving the bus, and avoiding trouble, but we both knew it wouldn't last forever. Especially not with the kind of luck we had. I couldn't help but remember the army of zombies still chasing us, and I was just praying we had made enough distance on them to never see them again. Again, with my luck, I wasn't getting my hopes up.

"I think we're getting close to Nashville, in which case, we'll take a detour and find a way around it," Jack reported.

"You're in charge of driving Jack. You're the best navigator I know," I told him. "I trust you'll get us all there safe."

"I wish I could give you a guarantee on that," Jack replied.

"Bob, aren't you supposed to be asking me before making decisions?" Jessie asked.

"Well, I figured you'd agree with that one Jessie," I answered.

"I do, but still, you didn't ask," Jessie said. A few more miles down the road and Jessie must have spotted something. She yelled for Jack to stop the bus, and we all panicked a bit before she explained what was going on.

"What the fuck Jessie!?" Roxy shouted.

"Sorry! I seen something and it made me remember! There's a bowling alley back there! Carter always wanted to bowl! We should do it! Please can we!? It'll be fun!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Carter... Is that true?" I asked.

"Yes Mr.Bob, it is," Carter replied.

"What's with you and calling everyone Mr. or Ms.? You don't even use their last name either! Its like you're fucking six!" Dean shouted.

"Hey, he calls me Lucas. I guess he's just afraid of you guys for whatever reason."

"I'm sorry, I suppose its just how I show respect. Besides I don't know most of your last names. So I just call you by what I know," Carter explained.

"Its fine Carter, don't worry about it," I said.

"So are we going bowling or what?" Jessie asked.

"I don't know Jessie, that doesn't seem like the greatest idea," I replied. "I'm sorry Carter, but we really should focus on getting to our destination."

"Aw come on Bob! We should have a little fun before we get there!" Layla argued. "We need to have a little fun every now and then. After all, we don't know what's going to happen next. It would mean a lot to Carter. If anything you should do it for me."

"Ah... Layla you know I can't say no to you. Fine, let's go bowling."

"Yay!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Thank you Mr.Bob," Carter added.

"No problem man... Its just Bob by the way, no need for the mister. I don't command that kind of respect."

"I fucking hate bowling!" Roxy shouted.

"Well then don't bowl!" Jessie replied. It was clear that more than a few of us didn't want to do this, but Layla was right. We needed to have some fun on occasion. We could die any minute. Hell, a fucking mosquito bite can kill you now. So if Carter's life wish was to go bowling, then damn it, we'll go bowling. I had that damn feeling in my gut though. The one that said this wasn't a good idea, but the decision was made... One or two games can't hurt I guess. Taking a long hard look at Roxy, I could tell she was a bit peeved at what Jessie had just said. I was just hoping she could let it go for the time being. The last thing we need is more fighting.

We got out of the bus and walked into the bowling alley, which was unlocked. It must have been open when everything got bad. All the lights were still on, all the lanes were still working, and the shitty bowling alley soundtrack was still blaring. We went behind the counter and got the neon orange shoes they had in stock, and the game was on. Truth be told, I didn't want to play, but I knew Layla would be pissed if I didn't play at least one game. Roxy and a few of the others sat off to the side and watched the game. I decided to put the little portable CD player I had found in our little shopping spree at the mall to good use in between turns. For whatever reason, I was really liking some Circa Survive. Roxy seen me and had to know what I was listening to.

"What the fuck are you over there jamming to?" she asked.

"Oh, Circa Survive. Not sure why, but I'm really liking them today." I replied.

"They're a good band, I seen them when they were in town a few months back," Roxy said. "I was right up front, and some fucks decided to push at just the right time. Fucked my ribs up and I had to have the security guard pull me out of the crowd so I could go puke my guts out... It was fucking awesome."

"Sounds like it, believe it or not, I was at that show Roxy," I told her. "I was somewhere in that push I'm sure."

"Well then fuck you Bob, that shit fucking hurt!" Roxy said laughing. "Anyways, can I give that a listen? I'm bored out of my fucking mind because you assholes just had to go bowling."

"Its not my favorite thing either Roxy," I replied as I handed her my spare ear bud. "But... This is what they wanted to do."

"Its your turn Bob!" Layla shouted after rolling two consecutive gutter balls. I handed the other ear bud to Roxy, and grabbed the pink ball Layla had been using. I knew I was going to screw this up. I seriously hated bowling, and every time I bowl, I'm always reminded of why. I suppose its just because I've never been good at it, and I'll admit to not liking anything I suck at. Its not my strongest character attribute. I walked up to the lane and rolled one right down the gutter. Jessie laughed at me, and I couldn't help but smile. I waited for my ball to come back, and then threw another quick ball down the lane, knocking all the pins over but one. Jessie stopped laughing after that one, and I kept right on smiling. I walked back and grabbed my other ear bud from Roxy and we both jammed to some "Imaginary Enemy," while everyone took their turn. Layla was sitting next to me, and eventually became curious as to what it was. I gave her my ear bud and let her listen in. I could tell, she really didn't know what to think.

"I know its pretty weird Layla, but it actually grows on you, and then you start to worship Anthony Green like he's been given the voice of God himself," I explained.

"Its not bad, but its... I don't know. Not something I'm used to I guess," Layla replied.

"Well, just keep listening, and try to lose yourself in it. If you can't, then its not good for you. That's what music is about to me," I said. "Its an escape from everything. If you can't lose yourself in it, then listen to something you can lose yourself in."

"Its your turn Layla... What the heck are you guys listening to?" Jessie asked.

"Circa Survive," Roxy answered.

"Ew," Jessie said, clearly disgusted at our musical choice. I had this feeling she was dismissing things before giving them a fair shot, so I decided to challenge her a little bit.

"Jessie, have you ever even listened to them? You might actually like them," I argued.

"I'm sure if you listen to it, they suck," Jessie replied.

"Well then, just give them a listen and see. I know two songs you'll probably like, I'll play those," I told her as she grabbed the headphones from Roxy. I knew this CD was a good Circa Survive starter CD. It had the radio friendly "I Felt Free," and the bad ass track "Get Out," on it. Blue Sky Noise is just an amazing album, but I digress. I turned on "I Felt Free," and watched Jessie's face as she listened. Slowly I realized I had achieved a musical victory.

"Bob... I actually like this," she said. "This is a pretty good song."

"I told you Jessie, not everything I listen to is bad," I told her after the song ended. I then changed the track to "Get Out," and noticed her expression stayed the same. Wow, for once Jessie and I agreed on something musically. This is practically Israel and Palestine joining forces if you ask me.

"Okay well, its your turn to bowl Bob, hurry up," Jessie said as she listened to the rest of the track. I took my turn, and somehow managed a spare. I was marginally impressed with myself as I walked back and sat next to Layla. Jessie was flipping through tracks and liking most of them. I always loved when I showed somebody something new, especially music.

"Oh, Bob and Layla! I was next door to you two motherfuckers last night!" Roxy exclaimed.

"Oh... Sorry about that Roxy... We were..." Layla didn't get a chance to finish as she was interrupted by Roxy's laughing.

"Its okay, just... Keep it down next time. Layla, I have a bad mouth, I'll admit it, but fucking damn dude! You are terrible during..." I couldn't help but start laughing. I was just glad Jessie couldn't hear what we were saying right now. She'd be appalled, I'm sure. Our happiness was interrupted by a loud crash towards the front of the bowling alley. I was afraid of this. Why am I always right? I'd kill to be wrong just one time!

"Guys, we're gonna have to cut this short! We've got company!" Jack shouted. Jessie didn't hear anything, and kept listening to the music, oblivious to the occurring events. Dalton took the headphones out of her ears, and Jessie turned to hit him.

"Jessie! Zombies! Let's go!" Dalton yelled.

"I'm sorry everybody. I feel like I caused this," Carter said.

"Not your fault Carter. We all agreed to it. Don't worry about it," I replied. "Besides, I don't think its..."

There was another loud crash towards the front of the bowling alley, and I could tell by all the noise there was a good amount of them outside.

"Okay, maybe it is that bad," I said, rethinking my previous stance on the situation.

"What do we do?" Lucas asked.

"Well, let's find another exit, and not sit here like idiots," I said as I put my regular shoes on. Luckily for me, I always kept my shoes tied, so they slid right on... It was bad for my shoes, but this was one time where it actually came in handy. The noise was getting louder now, and I knew they'd be on us quickly. I saw the fire exit, and everyone followed me towards it. When we got outside, I looked around, and could hear more of them coming from around the building. Did that queen catch up to us? Or were we found by an entirely new menace? Didn't matter, this wasn't the time to speculate. There was no way we were going to get back to the bus right now, that path was blocked, and running was just going to prolong the inevitable. There was no way we could hold them all off, I hadn't really even seen the swarm, but I knew we were heavily outnumbered. Think Bob! Think!

Layla looked at me, and I could tell she was worried. Maybe she was feeling a little bad for talking me into this whole bowling thing in the first place. Wasn't her fault though, I knew she meant well. I didn't know what to do, so I just started to run. Everyone was following me now, and I knew it was my show again. I hated when it was my show now. It meant I was responsible if things went bad. There was a church up the street, and I thought maybe if we could get in there, we could hold out and think of a plan. I ran inside, and held the door for everyone else. Then I slammed it behind me, and figured out how to work the lock. A minute or so later, there were zombies right outside the door. We were trapped inside, and now I was officially worried.

"Now what Bob!? What's your plan after this!?" Jessie asked. "How are we supposed to get back to the bus!? This is the worst plan ever!"

"It wasn't really a fucking plan Jessie! I just ran and you followed me! I'm not always a genius like you are, okay!? What would you have done!?" I shouted.

"Not this!" Jessie screamed. "You're such an idiot Bob! You just got us killed! Thanks a lot!"

"Both of you stop!" Jack shouted. "Its gonna be fine! We didn't have any other options! Let's just stay calm and think this out!"

"Is somebody there?" asked a strange voice from inside the church. We all turned to look, and saw a short, middle aged woman approaching us. She was thin, with long blond hair that went past her shoulders. The best way to describe her, would be very plain looking.

"I knew it! The lord brought you here! I had been praying for a miracle, and God delivered you," she explained as she did that cross thing with her hand that devout Christians do. Forgive me for not knowing what its called, I skipped a lot of church... Okay I never went to church. I needed sleep damn it!

"What's your name?" Dr.Grant asked.

"I'm Esther," the girl replied. "I'm forever in your debt. God has brought you here for a reason, I know it. You must be truly blessed."

"Bitch there's a mothahfuckin army of zombies outside! We ain't blessed! You out cho God damn mind!?" Kwame asked. I could tell by the woman's face, she was appalled at what Kwame had just said.

"Sir! How dare you use the Lord's name in vain like that! You're in His house! Show some respect! That language will not be tolerated!" Esther shouted.

"I have a feeling you and I aren't gonna get along very well Esther," Roxy said.

"And why not?" Esther asked. I knew I had to stop this before we all really pissed her off. She had to know where things were in this church. We needed her right now.

"Esther, I'm Bob, its nice to meet you. Sorry we brought all of this your way. Are there any other exits out of the church other than the front door?"

"Well, there's the back door..."

"I'm sure we're surrounded you idiots! None of these doors are going to help us!" Jessie shouted.

"I hate it when you're right Jessie, but you're right... I'm sorry by the way... for before," I said.

"Its fine Bob. I'm sorry too... This is just... Stressful," Jessie replied.

"Shit... This is not good. Is there any way we can fight them?" Brock asked.

"Me and Jessie handled about thirty of them the one time, but I don't know if we can hold this bunch off..." I explained. "Did anyone happen to see how many there were?"

"When I looked back, all I seen was zombies," Brock answered. "I don't think we can hold them all off."

"Well then we should wait for God to give us the answer," Esther said.

"Oh right, and just wait to get fucking eaten," Roxy replied. "Yea, God's gonna really send a fucking laser beam from heaven and bail our asses out. Are you seriously that fucking stupid?"

"Well I have never!" Esther exclaimed, shocked as if the words came from Satan himself.

"Everyone calm down!" Dr.Grant shouted. "They aren't getting in here any time soon. Let's just relax for a minute, and try to get our heads straight. The answer will come. It always does."

We decided the doctor was right, and we all took a seat in the pews. Layla and I took a seat in the back, and I stared into one of the stained glass windows. Praying one more time for the right answer to hit me.

"Bob... Do you think we're gonna make it out of this one?" Layla asked.

"We will... I have to think that Layla... I refuse to believe otherwise... Do you think its that group that was chasing us before?"

"Well... I'm not sure. We'd made a lot of stops, but who knows. I doubt they could catch us at their pace. Anything is possible with the queens though. They could have ran here, or maybe they took school buses... I really don't know. I don't think its them though. I just... It doesn't seem logical."

"I'm with you. I just wanted someone to confirm it for me."

Layla laid her head in my lap, and fell asleep. How she could sleep at a time like this was beyond me. A few more hours passed, and we still had no idea what to do. It would be a slow painful death of starvation if we stayed inside here. Maybe the best option would be to just go out fighting, and die with a little dignity. Another few hours passed, and I was convinced it was the right way thing to do. I decided to take a vote.

"Guys... There's no easy way to say this, but I think we're fucked... We can stay here and die a slow death of starvation, or we can go out kicking and screaming. We can die the fast way, or we can die the slow way... What do you guys think?"

"Bob... This is... Not good. I don't want to die at all," Jessie replied.

"Bob's right though. I think its over... Fuck! Of all the places I didn't want to die! Church is at the top of my fucking list!" Roxy shouted.

"Well... I... I don't think there's anything we can do guys. So... The hard question is this... Do you want to die now?... Or later?"

"Well... my opinion is... we go out trying. Let's fight! If we die trying! We die for something! I'm not going to die a coward!" Dalton shouted.

"I'm with you dog! Fuck this shit! Let's go out fuckin' some mothahfuckahs up!" Kwame replied.

"We can't kill any of them!" Esther yelled. "They're all people! All of them can be saved! Thou shalt not kill! God has a plan for this! He will show us the way! This is just meant to test our faith!"

"Will somebody please shut her the fuck up before I walk over there and knock her fucking jaw off her face!" Roxy shouted. "Are you seriously that fucking stupid!? How the fuck are you even still alive!?"

"God has kept me alive this long. He has a plan for me. He has a plan for all of us. We just need to hold strong, and wait for him to show us the way," Esther explained.

"Well when we open up the doors, I hope God shows you the way pretty quick," Dean said. "Because if not, you're gonna be dead like the rest of us."

"You're all the devil's work! How could you!? You'll all burn in hell for this!" Esther shouted.

"Well Esther, I've said it once, and I'll say it again. This time it really means something though. If hell exists, I'm already there," I replied. "Tomorrow I vote we open those doors, and fight with everything we've got... Who's with me?"

It was clear by the reaction that we were all for the plan... All except Esther. These things weren't going away and we knew that. Dalton said it best, if we're going to die, let's die for something... Let's die trying to live. It was hard for any of us to sleep that night, but slowly one by one, we did. Layla and I were the last ones up, and I knew she wasn't quite ready for bed yet. She looked at me and smiled. I couldn't help the feeling that everything was going to be okay... That smile always made me feel like that.

"Bob... If its really our last night... Can we maybe..."

"Fuck it... Why not? Let's find some place a little more private though. Maybe this church has a basement or something... Sex in a church... Damn I feel like a true heathen now... I love you Layla."

"I love you too Bob."

Layla and I walked into the hall and started to hunt for some out of the way room. Preferably not on the same floor as everyone else was. I think her and I had the same thing in mind. There was no need to wake everyone else up. Besides, the constant pounding of the zombies outside would definitely kill the mood. After some searching, we finally found what looked like the basement. I found the lights and we both made our way downstairs. I couldn't help but notice the smell, and I immediately wondered where it was coming from. Then I saw it. The culprit of the smell... It truly was an act of God.

It was a sewer opening. This church must have been pretty old, and had a large hole that went down into the sewer. A lot of older buildings had that. I found it strange this church did, but I wasn't arguing. When Layla and I saw it, we both debated whether to let everyone sleep, or wake them up to tell them the good news. We both decided to wait until morning to make the big reveal. I knew we were going to make it. It wasn't going to be easy, but I knew we had a chance now, and that's all I ever asked for. Layla and I stayed in the basement for a while... All I can say is, If God was watching... His pants were a little tighter by the time we were done.

The next morning, we awoke and showed everyone our discovery. It was a huge relief to us all that we now had a plan. Maybe Esther was right. Maybe God really did have a plan for everyone. It would explain why he made Layla and I... Well... Us.

"This is going to be disgusting," Riley said.

"Of course it is," Lucas replied. "Its a sewer, not a field of daisies."

"This sucks Bob! Why did this have to happen? We're finding a shower first thing when we get out!" Jessie demanded.

"That sounds good actually," I said. "As long as you don't use all the hot water again."

"Just for that, I'll be sure to use it all," Jessie joked.

"I told you God had a plan for us," Esther said. "I knew He'd show us the way."

"Seriously, if I hear that one more fucking time, I will fucking kill myself," Roxy replied.

"What about the bus? Are we just going to abandon it?" Jessie asked.

"I'll come back for it," Jack answered. "If its just me, I think I can sneak in and get it without drawing too much attention to myself. We'll just go through here and find some place safe."

"You'll need help. I'm going with you," Brock said. "Two of us should be fine, and if something happens to the bus, you might need me around."

"Okay, its a date then," Jack replied.

"Well... Let's get this shit over with," I said. "And by shit I mean that literally."

We all got ourselves ready and started to make our way into the sewer. There was a gate with a locked door blocking our path ahead. Jack didn't waste any time in shooting the lock off of the door, and we went further inside the sewer. I couldn't help but think shooting that lock was a bad idea. I'm sure you could hear it on the street, and I knew we were under a lot of bad things right now. Nobody else seemed worried though, so I tried my best to shake off the feeling. The sewer was filled with so many intersections that it was nearly impossible to navigate. On top of that, it was nearly pitch black. All we had to guide us were four flashlights that weren't near bright enough to properly navigate. It didn't matter, we didn't have anywhere in particular in mind to go. A few minutes into the walk, and I could feel the complaining coming. I could hear Riley's deep sighs, and I remembered how nice it was when it was just Dalton, Jessie, Layla and I.

"This smells so bad! How much longer are we gonna be down here for?" Riley asked.

"Shit, as long as it takes for us to get far away from them mothahfuckahs back there," Kwame answered. "Just do like I do girl and don't look at all the shitty water. That shit will make your stomach all fucked up and shit."

"Why the fuck are you shining a flashlight down there anyways?" Riley asked.

"I don't know... Shit... Maybe there's a mothahfuckin' sewer alligator or some shit," Kwame explained.

"That is a great reason Kwame! Sewer alligators! You're a true genius!" Dean said.

"Nolan, are you okay buddy?" Dalton asked.

"I'm fine," Nolan replied.

"Hey little dude, hop up on my back! I got you. Shit, I'll save you the walk lil homey," Kwame said.

"Yea, that sounds good," I added. "You'll be like Four Arms then Nolan. Just hold on tight kid."

"Okay," Nolan replied as he hopped onto Kwame's back.

"We're far enough can we just..." Something cut Riley off and all I heard was the splash of the water. Did she slip? Or was Kwame's sewer alligator theory actually right? We all stopped and shined the flashlights towards the splash, hoping to see Riley come up covered in shit, but so far, there was nothing. There was more splashing, like there was a struggle taking place. It wasn't long before it stopped. Layla shined the flashlight towards the far end of the sewer, and we saw what happened. It was a lone zombie. It must have been lying in wait for somebody to go down there, and Riley was his ideal snack. He was chewing through what was left of Riley's neck, and Kwame finished it off with a well placed shot to the head. The echo of the shot screamed throughout the sewers, and I knew it was going to attract some attention. Why the army of zombies overhead hadn't found us yet, I'll never know, but I knew that luck wasn't going to last.

"How could you kill him!? He could have been saved!" Esther screamed.

"Okay! Esther! Its official! If you say one more fucking word I'm going to fucking knock you out and throw you in the shit! Last fucking warning!" Roxy replied.

"Esther, you should heed that warning dude, this chick does not fuck around," Dylan added.

We all heard the screams coming from different directions through out the sewer. A light appeared overhead, and I knew it was one of them opening the manhole. This was not the ideal battle ground for zombies either. Surrounded by water on a small pathway, and no ability to see. Things were not looking good. Esther was right, God had a plan and I was pretty sure it was to completely fuck us over... I was now regretting having sex in a church... I'm sorry God.