The Infected

Pinky Promise

"Collin honey, you have some mustard on your chin."

"Mom, I can handle myself I'm 17."

I feel the car swerve. I open my eyes and Collin is in the front seat trying to swipe his moms hands out of his face.

"MOM!"

I was unaware of the boy in my lap but the weight on me just grew about 200 pounds. Okay maybe I exaggerated just a little but anyway, I looked down and saw James spread across my lap, began to move and wake up. It was then I realized how bad I needed to pee.

"James..." I say prodding his head.

He grunts.

"James..."

No reaction.

"James!"

Nothing.

Hmm... I moved my head close to his ear.

"Jaaamess. Wakey wakey..." I whispered in his ear.

"Hmm?"

"It's time to wake up.." I whisper gently.

"Wake up...?" he dozes back off.

"Mrs. Evans could we pull over?"

She begins to slow the car. I wedge my hands between my legs and James's back and topple him into the floor board.

"Ow! What the hell?" he mumbles holding his hand on his head.

"I didn't want to pee on you... Guys, check this out I bet there's a bathroom." I snatch the ax determined that if I have to use it I won't fall on my ass this time.

The sun is shining high in the sky, it's really a beautiful day. I light a cigaret and push open the door to a run down bar by the looks of it. When I get inside I find that's exactly what it is. The lights above the bar are flickering and the whole place looks untended.

"Where are we?" I ask as I inhale the poison.

"Joplin, Missouri."

"Jarred was that you?" I ask. I know Collin and James's voices well enough to know it wasn't them and it definitely wasn't a woman.

"Nope." Jarred says looking around.

"It was me," a tall, thin man began to materialize from the darkness in the corner of the room, "I'm Chris." he sticks out a tattooed hand. I recognize it.

"Pleasure." I say accepting his shake. "Want a smoke?" I say casually.

"I'd love one." he says.

I hand him one.

"Thanks, where are you guys from?" he says with the cigaret in his mouth lighting it.

"Texas." Collin says. "Do you get many infected through here?" He asks looking around.

"The bar? No. I haven't seen any. I've been here two days." He says looking around as well.

"Mind if we stay?" Collin asks, "We've got more death sticks in the car."

"We've got more cigarets too." I add.

Collin shakes his head.

Chris laughs. "Why not?"

"Thank god, I'm starving." Jarred says and goes to unpack the food.

"I'm about to piss my pants." I flick the ashes off my "death stick" and walk past Chris to find the bathroom.

When I return everyone is eating and talking, telling stories.

"What about you Chris? What are you going to do?" Jarred asks him as he takes a large bite out of a sandwich.