2020: The Pandemic - Zombie Edition

5: Game Plan

"Even a zombie lurching through the night can seem pretty cheerful compared to the existential comedy/horror of the ozone layer dissolving under the combined assault of a million fluorocarbon spray cans of deodorant."

- Stephen King

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Chapter 5: Game Plan

Ace sat uncomfortably beside Beau while watching the news. Ace was usually a social bird and talked to everyone, but there was something off about Beau. At first, he thought it might have been due to the death of his friend but that wasn't it. Beau was shivering and sweating simultaneously. His eyes were unfocused, and he licked his dry lips every second minute.

"You alright man?" Ace asked. Beau just gave him an aloof stare.

They were sitting in a dark living room, only the light of the TV illuminating, because they didn't want to attract unwanted attention. Finally, the others arrived, carrying heavy backpacks and bewildered eyes.

"You guys wouldn't believe it. Some Nazis tried to kill us." Charmaine spoke, throwing her russet backpack onto the carpet. Beau sat up straight and went to give his sister a firm hug.

"Glad you're safe." He said and went back to sitting on the couch. Both Ace and Arturo raised their eyebrows at his behavior but shrugged it off. When it was time to sleep, they split up in two groups once again. One group was to keep guard and the other slept. The siblings allowed the two strangers to sleep in their bedroom. 

After a few hours in silence Beau succumbed to sadness, the loss of his best friend hit him hard and he cried when no one was watching.  His sister noticed his sadness and tried address him with a different matter. She had waited until their company were in deep slumber.

"We need to get you to a doctor. That bite wound looked bad." She hissed at him quietly.

"We can't. Half of the city is already infected and the military hasn't even arrived yet. You said it yourself, there are crazy people on the streets and not just infected people." He argued.

"We need to move anyway. We can't stay in this city." Charmaine countered.

"Why?" he spoke and tried to make eye contact with his sister but couldn't focus on her face.

"There are too many zomb-"

"Infected." Beau corrected her.

"Fine." Charmaine rolled her eyes: "There are too many infected here. The number will go up and we can't live on supplies for too long. If the military shows up, I'm pretty sure they'll just shoot everyone of no importance or worse blow it up if they see the state that it is in. We need to move, maybe to the countryside or something."

"No, we will go to Naomi. She can cure me." Beau said and for a minute he appeared sane and healthy. Charmaine smiled at him but her smile faltered when she saw that a rash had formed on his neck. They both knew that he was bitten by the first man they had encountered but kept it a secret. They didn't want these strangers to leave because they were stronger in a bigger group.

Both siblings went back to watching the windows and TV not knowing that Arturo was listening in on them.

The morning came with rain and a cloudy sky. Breakfast wasn't as awkward as expected. They weren't morning people, except for Ace, and ate in silence up to a point.

"Where are you from?" Ace decided to annoy Arturo first.

"Why?" he barked back.

"I heard you talking Spanish while you were sleeping." Ace poured more milk on his cereal.