Slowly slipping my phone back into my hoodie pocket, I cross the quiet plane to the food stock and grab an apple. Biting into it, I take a chunk out and chew carefully so my jaw doesn't pop. If it did, I'd be scared and in pain for a while. Looking out the window, I watch the cities blur beneath us. I wonder what we're over now. Making my way to the cockpit, I ask one of the pilots. We're right over Florida. I nod and turn, my stomach churning. We were almost to Virginia.
I sit with my Dad and curl up, trying to sleep. It's hard to, with everything going on. The fear around me, the events that have happened only worsen my sleep terrors. The last thing my friends and family need is me screaming and freaking out on a plane. Sighing, I pull out a book instead and read. My phone buzzes again.
Quentin: Do you have enough of everything? Do you have transportation and everything?
Me: Yes Quentin, we should be fine. We're landing at a base so we can stock up on all that we need. I'm sure it'll work out. Be careful over there.
He read it but did not reply. I knew he was worried but there wasn't anything I could do about it. We would have to impovise for everything. Jesse comes and sits next to me, looking over and attempting a smile. It was only a ghost to his old smile. She wondered if she'd see it again. She nods, not trying to smile. It's too hard.
"You alright?" I nod and he nudges me. "We're going to be fine Jordan."
"How do you know? How can any of us possibly know or even think that it's all going to be ok! Anything could happen. We could trip, or be just a touch slower than everyone else, and boom, we're dead. What.. What if we can't do this?"
"Then I will. I'll kill their ass." He attempts to joke like he used to, but she hears the hidden fear behind it. He wasn't any different. Sure he was taller, more built than she was, but they shared the same fear. They all did. In these times, we are all the same. It doesn't matter what color skin you have, or what gender you are, or what gender you like. In the end, we all come together as one who share the same goal; Survive. But.. Can we?
The pilot pokes his head out of the cockpit, and the look on his face tells me he knows what I know. "I.. I can't get ahold of air traffic control." A dropped pin could be heard in the silence that followed the pilots statement. Dad nods and walks over to the older man. They talk in hushed tones and frantic whispers until finally, the man nods and goes back into the cockpit. Dad looks back at all of us and we all start checking guns for ammo. I walk over and grab one of the lighter utility belts, filling it with extra ammo and a few grenades. Rhyan gives me a look and I raise an eyebrow. "Don't you think we'll need them?" She shrugs. "Better to have and not need than to need and not have. Just don't blow yourself up."
"Yeah yeah." I smirk and fill my bag with as much water and food as I can carry. Jesse waves to get my attention and I realize he'd been calling to me. My ears were popping so I hadn't heard him. We had started to descend. Trying to ignore the lump in my throat, I lean toward him while checking guns for possible jams. "What should I pack?" He shouts so I can hear him, and I'm forced to shout back as the plane gets louder. "Whatever you can carry easily while running! If it's going to make it harder to run and shoot than lighten the load!" Even in this situation he smiles. There's that genuine smile I knew. "Aye aye captain!" I roll my eyes and finish the gun check, handing them out.
Rhyan hands me one of the sabers and I nod, slipping it through my belt loop. Keegan, Jesse and her do the same and everyone lines up at the back of the plane. The plane taxis on the runway and slows to a stop. Our pilot slowly opens the cargo door and walks down, looking around. He turns and gives us a thumbs up. "All clear!" Not even a second after he says that, a zombie (I'm sure at this point we can all agree they're zombies) tackles him and bites his arm, tearing a chunk out. The pilot screams and a hole appears in the zombies forehead, blood spraying the ground as the bullet exits. Another bullet buries itself in the pilots skull, silencing his screams.
I look over to my Dad, who is lowering his gun. He looks at me grimly and I nod, knowing it had to be done. We all shuffle out of the plane and out onto the runway, making a circle around my younger sister Shelie and my Mom who holds her tight. Rotating and taking in the surrounding area, we count maybe five zombies, probably more in the airport. Dad easily takes them out but with the sound of the shots, more will come. "We need silencers, and until we get them we use the sabers." He nods and lowers his gun, pulling out a machete he'd found on the plane.
Starting for the terminal, we keep a 360 view the whole way to prepare for anymore surprises. We reach the halfway point, close enough to see inside. I step ahead and throw my arm out, making everyone stop. I look back at them and point to the windows. "There's too many in the terminal and there is nothing in there that will benefit us right now." Everyone nods, frowning. Keegan speaks up and everyone jumps a bit at the sound of his voice, as he never really talks.
"There's a large jeep over there, it can probably hold all of us, it has a machine gun on it and a hard exterior to keep us safe as we drive." I nod, impressed with his observation then my eye catches movement to our right. "Shit. We better get going then, come on! Bust a move!" I shout, pushing everyone to sprint towards the jeep. The hoard in the terminal had noticed us and were coming. Shelie slows and Jesse scoops her up, slashing his saber across a zombies face. I push all my power into my swings, taking off a few heads. The blade embeds itself into one zombies skull and I stop, putting my weight on its head to pull the saber out.
The air is knocked out of my lungs as a rather large zombie takes me down, knocking my saber away. I wrap my hands around its neck and push, keeping its face away from me. I watch in fear as other zombies sprint to join him. As one nears, it's head is blown off and I wince at the loud gunshot. The rest start to drop as they lose their heads like their friend did. A shadow passes over me and the struggling zombie on top of me and a shotgun blows it's head off. I make a face and stand, wiping zombie gore off my face. "Delicious." I grumble.
Keegan smirks and tugs at my arm as he runs. I jog after him, taking it slow to count how many zombies are left. Fifteen. I sprint to catch up with him as we reach the jeep. Dad has already started it and Mom is helping everyone pack into the large car when we arrive. Keegan climbs into the back of the jeep and holds out a hand to help me up. I grin and shake my head. "Someone's gotta man the machine gun." He nods and closes the doors as Mom gets into the passenger side. I climb up onto the top and buckle into the seat behind the gun. Dad high fives me before starting it up and driving off. Mowing down the rest of the zombies, I sit back and relax.
Pulling out my phone, I text Quentin.
Me: Hey, we've landed and are on our way. Where are you, we'll meet you half way. And are you ok?
I sit and wait for his reply, taking in the scenery. Buildings are burning to the ground, zombies roam throughout the city looking for survivors. We drive down the long long road, to wherever to takes us. I was never much for religion but I prayed that we can reach our family safely and that they are safe. Hopefully scientists would figure things out quickly. I mean, how many zombie apocalypse movies have been made? One would think someone has made a formula for an antidote by now just in case. As we drive, I start to doze off and find myself in a quieter place. For the time being, I can relax.
