Redders

Three, two, one --

Alex jumped up and sprinted as fast as he could. It was only 100 yards. How many times had he run that distance in a football game?

Alex was all-state as a junior and would have been a big time college star. He held the school record for total touchdowns after his junior year. The game was so natural to him. Against Greenville he had rushed for 487 yards '" a new state record. He couldn't be stopped. Opposing teams would stack 10 or 11 guys at the line. They knew number 32 would get the ball. They even usually knew where he was going. They might lay a hand on him, but unless there were two or three, they couldn't stop him. And if he turned the corner '" it was pay dirt every time. Not once had someone caught him from behind.

He had been unstoppable then, but that was 5 years ago. Things had certainly changed. Back then, he was being heavily recruited '" could have picked any school in the country. Then it happened. It had been a week before the first game of senior season. They never saw it coming. The doctor said they didn't suffer at all, but from the look on his father's face, they weren't killed on impact '" they died in the fire. The trucker only got 3 years even though this was the third time he had fallen asleep at the wheel and he blew a 0.06. Under the legal limit '" but Alex lost more than his parents when the trucker rolled through the light. He had to take care of his four siblings. He couldn't play football. He barely graduated. All he could do was go manage the feed store. Looking back, he knew he would do it all over. Izzy was only 2 at the time. Sam was 5, Becca and Jesse were 9. They weren't old enough to fend for themselves then and Alex couldn't '" and wouldn't '" allow them to be split up. Alex was 17. His brother Tommy would have been 14. But he went early to prepare a place for Mom and Dad. Leukemia is an ugly thing.


He ran as fast as he could. Never look back. Eyes ahead. He was only 50 yards away now. All he had to do was reach the vehicle and he might actually make it. He was breathing hard. He was out of shape. He brushed a hand off his shoulder. The shotgun he carried in his left hand remained loaded and ready should the next contact not be so easy to dismiss. He carried a gallon jug of water in his right hand just like a football.

30 yards to go '" he jumped over something or someone. It was hard to tell at this point. He flashed back to the state semifinals game his junior year. Smithdale had ridden the clock all game. They led 31-28 with 15 seconds to go. They had done a good job of containing Alex, but he had just hit 183 yards for the game. On a third down, he ran straight up the middle. From the 30 it looked like he was going in '" just one man to beat. Alex made a move that left the guy sprawled on the ground, but somehow he managed to grab him by the shoelaces. He stumbled and fell at the three. The team ran to the ball and Alex punched it through, but the referee had stopped the game before the play as the game clock expired.

He wouldn't be tripped up this time. He couldn't let that happen. No falling short here. This was literally do or die. As he approached the suburban, he looked at the reflection in the windows. He immediately noticed that he was not alone. He had a five step lead, so he had to do something. 10 yards. 5. Touchdown. He turned just as he reached the car letting himself slam into the back driver's side door. As he did, he raised the shotgun. In the brief moment between impact with the car and the shot he realized something that almost caused him not to shoot, but he pulled the trigger hard and firm and the shot found its mark. He quickly opened the door, got in and slammed it behind him. He fumbled for the locks '" not that it mattered, they didn't know how to open doors anyway. The keys were still in the ignition so he started the vehicle, put it in gear, and left a shower of dust. As he pulled away another of his pursuers jumped on the side. Holding the luggage rack at the top he held on for almost a full minute, but at the first corner, Alex took it with enough speed that the creature was sent rolling.

Alex put the shotgun on the passenger seat. The one he had shot '" that was Mox. They had been friends in grade school before Mox's parents moved to Glynoaks. They grew apart until they ultimately squared off on the field. Alex won that battle, but Mox was a good defender. He had played college ball. He had lived the life Alex gave up. Martin Moxley '" age 23 '" killed by a shotgun wound to the head. Alex refused to believe that they were really "undead". Zombies weren't real '" they were just made up. Right? Are they still people?

Alex started to slow down a little. He was in the clear now. The backpack was stuck to his body with sweat. He began to peel the backpack from his back and placed it on the passenger seat beside the gun. He unzipped the pouch and pulled out the jug of water he had just filled. They seemed to know that you'd need water '" that is where they gathered. But the undead don't need water, too. Do they? Then the hand grabbed his arm. He was so startled that he almost dropped the bottle and nearly lost control of the suburban. As he screeched to a halt, he turned to see Izzy poking her head from under a blanket in the back.

"Darn it Izzy! You just about made me wreck." Looking at the innocent face just melted him. She would be 7 in a couple of months. She had grown so much. "Here you go. Just don't surprise me next time. Good job staying hidden." By this point all of Alex's siblings and Leslie, the girl they had picked up just outside of Plainsdale, were up from under their blankets. They hid when Alex was getting out. If the Redders saw them, they would attack, but an empty looking Suburban '" they walk right by.

---------------------------

Alex couldn't help but think that it was a miracle that they were still alive. First of all '" how had they survived for the last 5 years period '" Alex had barely been able to keep the feed store open as nobody wanted to depend on a kid for products that made their livelihood. Eventually, he had won some customers, but the damage had been done. Izzy probably didn't remember a time when macaroni and hot dogs weren't served at least 5 times a week. They didn't worry about getting fat though. Feeding 5 people on a pack of hot dogs and a box of macaroni isn't a lot to go around. The twins had started to cook more and Sam and Jesse helped at the store when they weren't in school, but there isn't a lot that a 10 year old boy can do. Somehow they had survived '" almost thrived. Jesse was first in his class. Becca was third, but was taking a lot of college credit courses. Sam was the best athlete in his class and always one of the top students and Izzy probably could have skipped kindergarten if it weren't for the social aspects.

They had survived this, too. It was six weeks ago that Dale Whitehurst had gotten that fever. He started babbling a lot and not making sense. His skin began to turn red in color. Not a bright red, but a rusty almost brown color. When he would sweat it looked like drops of blood coming off of him. After about a week he had eaten his pet cat and torn the house to shreds looking for food. They found him outside eating from a dumpster like he hadn't had a bite in weeks. He attacked the people that tried to confront him and ended up causing Mr. LaFleur to get sick as well. Soon a wave had spread all over town.

People just babbled until they no longer spoke words but just muttered sounds. Then they stopped talking as their skin reddened. Alex had heard on the radio that it was caused when capillaries burst under the skin, like a bruise. Then when the person would sweat, the blood would come to the surface; blood that carried the disease.

Alex and his siblings lived seven miles out of town down a dirt road. Not always the most convenient place to live, but it had actually saved them this time. Living so far out, they weren't hit by the initial wave. Over a two week period the wave swept over the country. In the town of Clyde's Bluff most of the 2,200 people were infected. Alex had brushed it off at first, but when things started getting bad, he put up a sign saying the feed store would be closed. He cleaned out the cash drawer, loaded anything edible that he could haul and made a trip over to Hank's Food Mart. After cleaning out the grocery store on things that wouldn't spoil (canned soup, pasta, rice, beans, even Spam) he headed home. He took a round-about way of getting to the house - just to make sure they weren't followed. It took 22 boxes to get all the food into the house. They filled up all the buckets, jugs, and bottles they could with water in case they lost power to their well. Then they sealed up the main level of the house and waited.

After three days the local radio station stopped broadcasting. The TV signal over the antenna was dead, but at least they still had power. They huddled in the house reading, watching old movies, playing board games, and trying their best to not think about what was happening outside. They absolutely couldn't tell Izzy, but the older kids knew. They dozed off on a Thursday evening only to be awakened by the radio blasting an alarm. It had been taken over by an emergency broadcast system and the news was grim.

This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This system was automatically launched and will continue to broadcast until the emergency has been cleared. Please listen to the prerecorded message and follow instructions carefully. The country has been hit by a pandemic disease. This disease is considered extremely dangerous and very contagious. Though the victims do not die, there is as of yet no known cure. Experts estimate that 90% of the population is either dead or infected with the disease. Please be advised that the disease is most likely spread through blood. Stations are being set up at stadiums around the country. If you are among the survivors, your options are to report you location to the military and you will be retrieved or to come to the location where you will be tested for infection and then admitted to a station for evacuation. If you would like to arrange military pickup, call 1-888-555-9898, that number again is 1-888-555-9898. Additionally, you can send an email to crisis852@ebs.gov. Please be advised that with large number of pickups being arranged, we are currently looking at weeks of waiting time. We highly encourage you to consider coming to a station on your own. A list of the stations will follow. Thank you and good luck.

A number of city stadiums were listed until finally the list had been exhausted. Fortunately, Alex paid enough attention to hear first Denver and then Omaha. Omaha was about an 8 hour drive, Denver, on the other hand was only about 4 ½. Those were the nearest options at this point, but still quite a trip.

A brief pause in the broadcast and then the alarm began to sound again and the message repeated. Alex was wide awake now. It was just before dawn. Izzy was curled up beside him on the couch. Sam was in a sleeping bag on the floor. The twins had slept in their rooms. Alex got up off the couch and eased Izzy's head down. He went to make some breakfast. He checked the freezer and found 4 frozen waffles. He left them for the kids. He started some coffee brewing. This was the last of that. He looked out the kitchen window and noticed that there was some cardboard out there. He hadn't noticed the wind, but it wasn't that uncommon to have some kind of trash blow into the yard. While he waited for the coffee to brew he fed the dog. Duke was a German Shepherd. Alex got him for Christmas the year before his parents died.

Alex went into the bathroom and came out to Izzy standing in the kitchen, eyes opened wide. Duke was standing by the front door growling with every hair on his back standing up. "I heard a noise," Izzy whimpered. "I think there is a dog outside, but I can't open the door."

"Quiet, Izzy. I'll check..."

Thank goodness they had blocked the door off. Alex quietly ran over to the front door. He looked out the peep hole. Nothing. He started to pull away, but then out of the corner of his eye, a movement caught is attention. He went into the next room and peeked out the window. Just as he thought - a Redder was on his front porch. It was eating something. They were always eating.

Alex grabbed the 12 gauge from the living room and grabbed Izzy by the hand. He tapped Sam awake. He whispered, "Be quiet. There's one of those things right outside. Go upstairs and take Izzy. Lock yourselves in and don't come out until I come to get you." Sam started to argue, but Alex hushed him. Sam took Izzy by the hand and they tiptoed upstairs. Alex knew that there was a great opportunity to take the Redder out when it would come by the dining room window. They had pushed the China cabinet in front of the window and there was a four inch gap between the top of the cabinet and the top of the window. He slowly reached in behind the cabinet and flipped the window lock open. Climbing a chair he stood looking over the cabinet as he lowered the top section of the double hung window. The Redder was right at the edge of the porch devouring what looked to be a chicken. There are no chickens anywhere nearby. The nearest is on the Moore ranch over 2 miles from here. Maybe it isn't a Redder. It is wearing clothes. But the hands are so red. The hair is so mangled. It can't be a regular person can it? Just then Duke barked. It startled Alex, but more importantly, it caused the Redder to turn her head. It was indeed a "her" - it was Mrs. Globert - she had been Alex's high school Spanish teacher. Alex barely recognized her. No - that isn't her. It just looks like her. It... The Redder had noticed him, shrieked, and lunged for him. He flinched and pulled the gun back. However, the shot echoed in his ear. Alex turned to see Jesse standing there with the other 12 gauge smoking in his hands. The shot was just a little off mark, but was still sufficient to take the redder down. She collapsed to the porch missing the right side of her skull. Izzy was crying up stairs and Alex could hear the twins trying to calm her. Sam was coming down the stairs. Alex yelled at him to stay up there. He turned back and was shocked to see a Redder on the front porch moving in on the one he had just shot. It began tearing at the flesh and Alex barely kept from throwing up. That looks a little like Mr. Globert. Within a couple of minutes three more Redders were on the scene and Alex could see half a dozen moving in. They fought each other just like wild dogs. After an intense brawl, another Redder was torn open and feasted upon. This time Alex did throw up. He slid the window shut and locked it. We've got to get out of here. At that point, Alex made up his mind that though they had been safe in their home thus far, they had to make a move.

Alex barked out some orders to his siblings. Soon they were all dressed and Alex told them his plan. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive to Denver, the nearest city with a stadium station. They would load all the supplies that they could fit into the suburban. They had half a tank of gas, but that was good for about 240 miles if they used it wisely. They would move as quickly as they could and hopefully before nightfall, they could be in Denver, ready to get into a safe place. The Suburban was in the garage. Thank you, Dad, for building that addition to the house. The old garage had been across their drive - about 50 feet from the house. When Alex was a freshman in high school, he and his dad had added an attached garage to the house. It was a three stall garage, but they only had one car since the accident.

Becca was put in charge of getting the food ready - enough food for the day, plus some extra. Jesse was to get the drinks - filling three old milk jugs with water. Izzy was to pack up an overnight bag for herself and find all the blankets in the house. Sam was to help load the Suburban with some supplies for the trip. Alex went to the gun cabinet and then to the safe where the ammo was kept. He got his dad's .243 rifle, along with a second 12 gauge (in addition to the one he had used this morning), a .22 rifle, and Sam's .410. That should be enough fire power to stop an attack if someone tries to stop us.

Soon everything was loaded and they all got in the car. They all got in and Alex had them buckle up and then hide themselves under the blankets Izzy had packed. This was partly for her sake and partly for safety. He hoped that the Redders wouldn't attack something they couldn't see. He started the engine and then hit the garage door opener. The door started to go up, but as it got up about 3 feet off the ground the light on it went out and the door stopped moving. Alex couldn't figure out what had happened until he noticed that all the power from the house had gone out. He had thought this might happen, but never considered that it would happen right now. Thinking quickly he checked the mirror. A Redder was out in the middle of the drive - 50 feet away, but he didn't see any closer. Alex opened the driver's door and grabbed the luggage rack on top of the suburban. He jumped up and grabbed the red rope that held the garage door to the opener. It broke loose and slammed shut. Alex heard a crunching sound instead of a bang and turned toward it, but couldn't see what made the noise. He hopped down and back into the suburban shutting the door behind him. Turning on the vehicle's lights, he could see in the mirror that the Redder had almost made it into the garage. The door had slammed down cutting him in two. This might be harder than I thought.

Alex called to Becca, he was going to lift up the garage door and have her drive out. Jesse was standing guard with the other gun. After she drove out, Jesse and Alex would jump in and hopefully they would be able to get away from the ranch before more Redders were on the scene. Alex called out "On three." He paused for a brief second, yelled "Three!", and lifted the garage door above his head. What he saw in the yard shocked him to the degree that he froze momentarily. On the east edge of the yard, four Redders were devouring a cow. There was still one near the carnage from earlier. Perhaps the most disturbing thing was the two who were eating the legs of the Redder who had been split in half by the garage door. They didn't even look up at first. As he stood there petrified by what he saw he realized that the Suburban wasn't moving either. It took him a minute to realize that Becca must have been too scared to make a move. He shook the trance off and ran back to the Suburban. Before he had opened the door he could hear Becca shrieking. Jesse was yelling at her to go, but she was paralyzed with fear. Jesse fire three shots while Alex opened the car door, pushed Becca out of the way, and then slammed the vehicle into reverse. Gunning the engine the Suburban tore out of the garage to the middle of the yard. The movement of the Suburban caught the attention of all the Redders and at least five of them came running to attack. They were no faster than their bodies had been while still human, but they were coming, running full speed.

Alex quickly shifted and drove away but as he did one of the running Redders cut in front of him. Alex swerved and nearly lost control. He managed to get it corrected.

"Just hit the dang thing!" screamed Jesse.

"I can't!"

"Why not - it's just a monster!"

Alex paused a minute. The lump in his throat grew bigger and bigger, but he managed to swallow it back down and compose himself. "That was Lila Peterson." Lila was Becca's best friend. Becca sat back and started to cry.


After driving for about two hours, Alex checked the rear view. Jesse and Becca were reading quietly and Sam was sleeping with his head on the window. Izzy was leaning against the other window and dozed on and off. Ahead there was a gas station and Alex noticed they were running under a quarter of a tank. He pulled into the gas station and up to the pump. Maybe they have power. He could tell already they didn't. He decided to see if there was anyone around who could help him. He rolled down the window and called out, "Hey! Is anyone here?"

Silence echoed back at him. He opened the door to the Suburban and stepped out. No sooner had he done this than he heard a shriek come from beside the building. He jumped back in and slammed the door as a Redder came running toward them. It was a fat male with scruffy facial hair. He ran toward them, but being well over 300 pounds, this was almost more humorous than scary. "Izzy - cover your eyes."

Alex turned to start the car, but before he did he heard the door open and a gun blast. He looked back and saw Jesse standing there, the 12 gauge raised to his shoulder. The Redder's body lay twitching in the parking lot.

"Let's get some gas."

Alex got out carrying the other 12 gauge. They went into the shop area where Alex kicked in the door. He almost fell as he did because this obviously was not the first time the door had been kicked in. They searched the shop and found only an empty gas can. However, upon searching the store area, they managed to find some candy bars and a hose. They went to the old car in the parking lot and Alex began trying to syphon the gas out while Jesse stood guard. He hadn't yet gotten any gas when they heard the growls. There was a mass of movement coming from the field near the store. Jesse screamed, "Alex, come on!" He grabbed Alex by the shirt and pulled. Alex looked up and saw that there were 5 Redders coming out of the corn field only 50 yards away. He grabbed the can with the small amount of gas in it and ran to the suburban. He jumped in and started the car just as Jesse got into the passenger seat and shut his door. The Redders were only about 25 yards away running toward them as though their life depended on it. 2 of them stopped at the fat Redder's body, but the rest kept coming. Alex started the car and floored it.

Just as they sped away, one Redder dove onto the hood. He tried to crawl closer. The girls were screaming. Jesse was frozen. Sam closed his eyes and covered his ears. Alex tried to turn quickly and nearly lost the Redder. Finally Jesse regained his composure and raised the shotgun. "No Jesse!"

"It's not a person Alex!"

The gun sounded and the Redder was no longer on the car. However, there was a big hole in the windshield and blood spattered all over. Jesse was shaking as he swept the glass off of himself. It had shattered all over the front seat, but most of it was on him. As he swept it off, he got a few shards in his hands. Becca handed him an extra T-Shirt that they had packed. He ripped it and used part to wrap his hand where the shards had punctured. He used the rest to clean up the blood.

They drove for another ten miles when they saw a vehicle coming the other way. The Redders don't drive. It had to be other people. As they approached, Alex rolled down his window and slowed to a stop, waving his arm at the approaching pickup. When they got there, Alex could see that it was an interesting group. They were driving a jacked up pickup with a large decal of the confederate flag on the back window. It had a roll bar with flood lights and a grill guard that appeared to be wrapped in razor wire. As the pickup slowed to a stop, Alex noticed two large men standing in the back, each holding a gun. The man in the back on the driver's side had a sawed off shotgun while the passenger side held an assault rifle of some size.

"Where ya' headin' Kamikaze?" the driver of the pickup asked.

"Denver."

"Well that ain't a good idea."

"Why's that?"

"'ËœCause they shut down the Denver station yesterday. Them Redders got it. Thought they could hold 'Ëœem out with a fence, but you can't stop 'Ëœem no soon'r 'Ëœn a dog wit' rabies."

"Is there any safe place left?"

"Omaha is still good last I heard."

"Do you have any gas?"

"Yeah, we got lots of that," smiled the driver. The passenger laughed and leaned to the side as he released a loud fart. Alex didn't smile, just shook his head. "What's 'Ëœa matter boy? You lose your sense of humor?"

Alex shook his head again. "I'm sorry. Just not in the mood for jokes. I gotta find a way to Omaha. That's 10 hours from here and I only have about 50 miles of gas left."

"Relax boy. There's a station in about 5 miles that still has gas. They was smart and kept a generator. They'll even trade with ya'."

Alex thanked the men and asked where they were heading. They were headed nowhere in particular. Alex warned them about the next filling station. The driver smile and said, "Ya' hear that boys? Sounds like Redder season 'Ëœs open!" He peeled out as they drove away.

Alex drove to the rest stop that the guys in the pickup had told him about and pulled up to a pump. He started to get out and heard someone shout, "Hold it right there!"

Alex froze.

"What are you doin' here?"

Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw a man in his 60's with an army buzz cut, a handle bar mustache, and a hook for his right arm. He had a rifle trained on Alex. Alex slowly raised his hands and turned. "We need some gas and heard you might be willing to trade?"

"What do you got?" the old man questioned.

"We don't have much. I have a 50 pound bag of oats and few guns."

"What do you have for ammo?"

"I've got a full box of .243 and about 500 for a .22 that I might be willing to part with. I don't want to give up the 12 gauge ammo very bad."

"Give me the oats, a box of 12 gauge shells, and the .243. And then you can have half a tank."

"Come on man. That most of what we have. We need enough to get to Omaha."

"Not my problem."

Alex thought for a minute. "Can I work for you or anything? What would it take to get a full tank?"

"Son, you don't have anything I want."

At that point, Becca opened the door. Izzy was sitting next to her looking uncomfortable. "Izzy has to go potty, Alex. Sam, too."

"Can she use the bathroom?" Alex asked.

Looking at the old man, Alex noticed something was different. He looked at the girls with a look on his face like someone had kicked his puppy. "You that kid from Clyde's Bluff? The one that dropped out of school to take care of his brothers and sisters?"

Alex was shocked. "Yes sir, but I finished school - just had to quit football."

The old man approached him and reached out his left hand to shake Alex's. "Son, you're a hero in my book. You take all the gas you need."

The flood of relief almost overwhelmed Alex as he shook the man's hand. Nobody had ever told him that. All he had ever heard was how much he hurt the town by quitting football. "Thank you, sir." Alex was so surprised. He was over 200 miles from home. "How did you know it was me?"

"My son was the football coach over at Greenville that year you went for 487. He heard about the whole thing and told me about it. I saw your license plate, and remembered the picture they ran of you in the paper when you beat the state record. Then I saw the kids with you and I was sure. I was sorry to hear about your folks. I bet they were good people to raise such an upstanding young man."

Alex was honored. He talked with the old man for a few minutes while everyone used the bathroom and they refilled their water. Alex heard how the man had lost his arm while serving overseas when he turned back to help some guys in his platoon. Then Alex used the bathroom himself. He came back out and the old man had taped up the front window of the Suburban and filled the tank and the gas can.

"You kids take care now. Good luck getting to Omaha."

They drove away from there and couldn't believe their luck. As they drove toward Omaha, they passed a lot of cars on the side of the road that had run out of gas or quit. Alex prayed that they wouldn't be among them.

At about midnight Alex was struggling to stay awake. They had driven over halfway to Omaha from the filling station and he was starting to get tired. He tried to play the radio, but the PSA going over the air waves was not helping. Jesse had crawled in the back to sleep with the others. Alex could barely keep his eyes open.

Ahead in the road there was a man, standing there waving his hands. Alex thought it must be a Redder. He was so sick of them, so angry that they had ruined the peaceful existence he had come to know with his siblings, he floored it and aimed right for the man. Then just before he hit him, he saw his face - it was his father. Then a loud rumble started and Alex was jolted from his sleep only to see that he had strayed off the road and was driving on the shoulder. He hit the brakes and carefully pulled to a stop, but noticed as he did that the rumble was coming from the car. He had blown a tire.

Alex pulled to the side of the road and parked the car. It was so dark - he was so tired. He got out and checked the spare tire. Just as he feared - he had never replaced it after losing it last fall. He got back in the car and locked the doors and leaned his head back against the seat. Maybe I'll just rest for a minute. Then I'll think of something. He felt like he had just closed his eyes when Izzy screamed. He sat up and saw two faces looking in the back windows of the car. It was just after dawn, so he grabbed the shotgun; he opened the door and chambered a shell. Nobody messes with my sister. He aimed and was about to fire, when he realized that the two people were backing away from the car, begging him not to shoot. It was two women - both about 30. One was crying and the other was just about to run. Alex lowered the gun and shook the sleep from his head. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"We're so sorry," sobbed one of the women. She was short with an athletic build. Her hair was short and almost black. She had fallen to the ground and was sliding backward on the road to get away. "We thought you were dead and we were just seeing if there were any supplies in the car."

"Well, we're alive. We are on our way to Omaha - trying to get to the safe station, but we blew a tire. Unfortunately we don't have a spare."

"There is another suburban just up the road. Someone rolled it about a week ago, but the tires might still be good," said the second woman.

She was a soft spoken, tall, and brunette. She reminded Alex of the girl he had taken to junior prom. So long ago. Her name was Cecilia Burke.

Alex took the gun and along with the second woman, Leslie, and Becca, he set off for the wrecked Suburban. The first woman, Elsie, stayed at the car with Jesse, Izzy, and Sam. Jesse had not slept well and was going to take a nap. Elsie and Leslie had agreed that in exchange for their help fixing the tire, Alex would drive them as far as Plainsdale - about an hour down the road. That is where Elsie's uncle lived. He had promised to take them the rest of the way.

Two miles down the road, they found the wreck and while Leslie checked for supplies, Alex and Becca removed two tires. They decided it would be good to have a spare. Alex held one on each side and Becca carried the gun. They were most of the way back when Alex saw something from the corner of his eye. At first, he thought it was a cat sitting in the culvert, but then he noticed that it was bigger than a cat. He put the tires down grabbed the gun from Becca. Out of the culvert trotted the sickest looking coyote he had ever seen. It growled at him. It had barely finished its growl when Alex found his mark. The animal was obviously infected. That isn't good. Now it can spread to animals, too.

When they arrived back at the car, the scene was not good. Jesse was not looking well. "I think the cut on his hand got infected," Elsie said.

Looking at the cut, Alex knew they had to do something. Only one thing was certain: something had to be done or Jesse would get a lot worse. With Elsie and Leslie, Alex was able to change the tire in a few minutes. They got Jesse into the Suburban and were on the road. Jesse was running a slight fever and was complaining of extreme headaches. Leslie softly told Alex that those were symptoms of someone who had the Redder disease. It meant he might not have long. Omaha was still 4 hours away. As he drove thoughts of how to save his brother raced through his mind.

The finally arrived in Plainsdale and Elise directed them to her uncle's place. She hopped out of the Suburban, walked up and rang the doorbell while Leslie gathered their things. A few seconds later the door opened. Before Elise could even begin to react, the Redder that had once been her uncle attacked her, first pouncing on top of her and knocking her to the ground, then tearing big chunks of flesh from her body and leaving Elsie dead and the rest of them terrified. Alex grabbed Leslie's arm and pulled her back into the suburban as he tore down the drive.

There was not a hospital in Plainsdale, but there was a small medical clinic. Leslie suggested getting some iodine and bandages from there. She offered to go in and get it while Alex stood guard over the kids in the car. He was exhausted and so when Becca offered to help, Alex decided to stay.

He must have dozed off sometime, but was brought back to consciousness by Sam calling, "They're coming! They're coming!" There were three shotgun blasts, each separated by about 3 seconds. Then Becca came running to the car. Leslie backed out the door and blasted the shotgun again. She too got in the suburban. She pulled a blanket over herself. As Alex fumbled to get the keys in the ignition, a Redder came right to the window. It looked around without noticing Leslie until it saw Alex. It started to run around the car, just as Alex got the keys in the ignition and started the car. As he tore away, they left the Redder behind; Leslie pulled the blanket down and peaked out.

"Your hiding seemed to work. He was looking for you, but didn't see you under there," Alex observed. They sped out of town as Becca used the supplies to treat Jesse's wounds. The wounds were festered and gross and Jesse was looking extremely flush. As Becca treated the wounds, Alex drove.

"There is a hospital in Oaken Wood. But I don't know if there will be anyone there." Leslie said.

"How far is that?"

"About 20 miles."

Alex sped up. Soon he was going well over 90. He won't die on my watch!

"Alex" Jesse coughed. It sounded like he was choking on something and his speech was slurred. "I need water." He could barely understand him.

"We're all out Jesse. Can you wait 15 minutes."

"I cough, cough. I think cough so." But he couldn't. He began choking. They had nothing left to drink. So Alex pulled over at a farmhouse near the highway. He pulled into the driveway and saw a water hydrant not far from there. He grabbed a milk jug from the back and made a mad dash for the hydrant. There was a pile of hay bales about 10 feet away, so he made sure to stay low. He quickly filled the jug and capped it. When he turned, there were three Redders moving around the suburban peering through the windows.

Why isn't someone driving over here? He realized they must be hiding. OK. This is up to me. Alex stood up and yelled at the Redders, "Hey, I'm over here!" The Redders turned toward him and began running at him. There were at least 6 of them. It looks like it's probably the farmer, his wife, kids, and a hired hand. Alex stayed behind the bales. He knew he only had a few seconds before they would be on him. OK. I move on three! It's only 100 yards. I've done this a thousand times.


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Alex handed Becca the jug and she gave small sips to Jesse. He hadn't coughed for a while. His breathing was heavy. However, now he chose the time to eke out some last words. "Alex... they are people..."

"Quiet Jesse. Save your strength."

"Alex! He's bleeding!" Becca cried.

Alex turned to see blood coming from Jesse's eyes and some small drops on his skin. "Don't touch him!"

Alex pulled to the side of the road. This was it - it had to be done. He got out and with Leslie and Becca's help they slid Jesse out of the car. Jesse was limp, but at the same time his muscles were twitching. Becca was sobbing and wouldn't let go of Jesse's hand. Leslie was crying, too. Izzy didn't understand what was going on, but was crying none the less. Sam was trying his best to act tough, but the heartbroken look on his face gave his emotion away. Alex wiped a tear from his eye and said a quick prayer. Dear God, I'm sending you my brother. Take care of him. He aimed the shotgun at Jesse's head. He was shaking so bad that he could hardly aim. Jesse mumbled something. Alex started to squeeze the trigger, but stopped short when Sam yelled.

"Wait! What's that?"

Alex turned and saw something in the road ahead. It was a vehicle coming toward them. It was a Hummer. It pulled up and three soldiers got out and formed a line across the road. A truck pulled up behind and then another Hummer. Seven more soldiers got out of the truck. Alex put the gun down and raised his hands in the air. The soldiers had their guns on him.

"You have to help my brother. He is infected and I just can't shoot him." Alex said.

A couple of soldiers came running up with a medical box and Becca opened the door. They began work on Jesse.

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Within hours they were in Omaha. Safe in Omaha. They hadn't seen Jesse for some time, but they had word that he should make a full recovery. They had found the cure and were administering it to all the Redders that they could capture safely. Alex let a little smile creep onto his face. Then Leslie took his hand, interlinking their fingers, and smiled at him. Izzy came up and leaned against his side as he put his arm around her. The world would never be the same for him, but despite the odds, he had won.