Holy Crap part 3: Field Trip?

“Lets get the hell outta here while we still can” Josh said as he turned the key and the truck roared to life.

“No, I have to get my sister, we need to go to the hospital.” I responded

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Well I don’t care what you think.”

“We’re not going there evacuating the city I think they would’ve evacuated the hospitals first.”

“You don’t know that, now drive to the hospital”. I was getting annoyed.

“Are you kidding! Have you lost your mind?” something I said got Josh mad and he started yelling at me and all I could think to do was yell right back.

“It’s my truck and I say we’re going!”

“Well I’m the one driving so we’re leaving.” He narrowed his eyes “You don’t seem to get it, those people, things what ever the fuck they are, are trying to kill us do you really want to take these kids and put them right smack in the middle of it?”

“Marek and these kids were smack in the middle of it, they’re alive” I wave my arm toward the back. “My sister could be too.”

“Look you lucked out with him, how long do you think your luck will hold, your not a fucking cat.” He was shoving his finger in my face.

“I’m not leaving my sister.” I could hear my shrill voice rising I inhale then said through clenched teeth. “What if it was your family and you had a chance to save them.” I stared intently into his eyes.

He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white “Aaahh!” He put his head down and said through tight lips “What hospital?”

I realized that I had never asked which hospital they were at so I grab my cell and speed dialed Damon’s phone, but there was no answer, I hung up but before I could hit redial my phone rang it was Damon.

“Damon I…” was all I got out

“Shit, Help me! They’re trying to kill me!” Damon voice was panicked.

“Who is? Damon what hospital are you at?!” I demanded.

“She died, how could she die it was only a bite, but she died I saw it and then she bit me.” He was sobbing now.

“Damon where are you?” I said each word slow and deliberate

“Why is this happening…?”

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me where you are.” I pleaded, he just cried, then a loud crash came from the back ground and he started screaming. “Damon? Damon?” the line went dead.

I turned to Josh “We have to help him!”

“Are you nuts? We are not going to go hospital hopping to try and find people you don’t know are alive, are you deaf? Did you hear him screaming? Cause I could from where I’m sitting.”

“We have to do something.”

“What do you mean ‘We’ as I recall if it wasn’t for me you’d be food.”

I hate having things thrown in my face. “I didn’t ask you to save me” and before I could finish my sentence he cut me off.

“Right, ‘cause every time someone needs help, the first thing they say is, “O kind sir, would you be a dear and get this scary looking chap off of me, thanks”, I don’t fucking think so”

“Well we could use your mode of transportation to get out of town.”

“So you’re willing to risk every one in this truck to go find people that you maybe dead? Why don’t we grab a bus on the way and paint all you can eat on the side of it while we’re at it?”

His seething sarcasm only fueled my anger. I opened my mouth to yell at him but a small frail voice stopped me, not that it was loud in fact if I had already been yelling I wouldn’t have heard it, no it was from surprise that there was another person in the truck that could speak, it was Michelle I had forgotten she was there I stared at her in surprise.

“Please! Let’s just get out of this nightmare.” She pleaded thick tears running down her face.

Josh’s voice low this time. “Look at Marek, look at them. How much more do you think they can take?”

I looked down at Marek he was curled up on my lap his eyes tightly shut with his little hands balled up in fists pushing them against his ears, I turned and looked that the other two kids the little girl was also curled up trying to dig herself behind Michelle and the little boy was shaking violently. I felt a lump in my throat I knew I had lost this battle, hugging Marek I looked at Josh and nodded, I was afraid to speak thinking that I would just keep insisting to go find my sister.

Josh put the blazer into gear and we pulled out of the parking lot, I held Marek and kept my eyes down concentrating on not crying, I didn’t want Marek to see me cry, and I didn’t want to stress him out or worry him any more than he already was.

We drove for short while before anyone talked I could here the two kids in the back crying or sniffling.

“You did a good job getting you and the kids into cover.” Josh said looking into the rear view mirror. “What’s your name?”

I angled my body so that I could look at Michelle while she talked.

“I… uh… my name is Michelle, and thank you, but, Sarah was the one that saved us.” She replied choking on the last of her sentence. “She pulled me and Erica into the closet and then shoved in Edmond just a second later.” She was crying now.

“Well either way you did a good job.” I realized that he was trying to make her feel better for what reason I didn’t know, and I wasn’t going to help him, I simply nodded and turned to look out the window it seemed almost a regular day out there, cars parked in front of stores, people walking or running around that is if you disregarded the blood on some of those people and the occasional accident here and there.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked

“Out of the city maybe they should have safe zones for people, we’ll go there.”

“Why would they have safe zones?” that was a stupid question I knew it just as soon as the question was out of my mouth.

“Well they’re evacuating people so they must be taking them some where.”

I resisted the urge to ask where that might be instead I clicked on the radio maybe there was a broadcast of where to go.

The warning was on before the news “This is not a test, this is an emergency, we repeat this is not a test.” It made some more noise then the broad cast began. “Authorities are urging people not to go to hospitals or schools, and to stay away from large groups. Authorities are also saying that you should stay indoors and wait to be evacuated.” Then the whole thing started over again.

“Great I thought they would tell you where to go to, not stay indoors and wait for government officials to come for you.”

“Well now we know where not to go, but not where we can go if we’re out and about.” Josh’s sarcasm matched my thoughts.

I clicked off the radio.

“Can’t we just go home? I mean it said to stay indoors right?” Michelle voice was strained, I turned to her but before I could speak Josh answered her.

“No, that would be pointless enough of those things get to where you are and a door wouldn’t keep them out.”

“So what then drive around till we find people that can evacuate us?” I asked again feeling stupid for the question we should just leave the city and find some place to stay.

“No we leave the city and go some where less populated and stop there till we can figure something out.” He had his head on his shoulders to where I was stupefied by the days events so I simply stopped talking and nodded.

We drove for another short while in silence till we neared the freeway entrance there was a whole slue of cars waiting to get on, it was least 3 or 4 blocks of cars I mean normally you have 3 or 4 blocks but they break for the lights leaving gaps in between, not this time horns were honking people yelling out there car windows Josh slowed down.

“No don’t get in line with the traffic park.” I said this screamed wrong at me just plain wrong.

“But we need to get on, everyone is trying to get out so there’s bound to be traffic.” Josh replied with a surprised tone in his voice.

“Yes I know that, but it doesn’t seem to be moving, besides radio said stay away from large groups, can you think of a larger group than this?” I pointed out.

“Yeah well the radio said to stay indoors and you saw how the door to the daycare center ended up.”

“I don’t know there is something very wrong about this traffic jam though, look at it.”

Josh nodded and pulled into one of the parking lots going around a shop and parked facing the street he opened the door letting in the cold air from the outside I shivered thinking to myself at least its not snowing today.

“What are you doing? I asked.

“Going to see what’s the hold up.” He shut the door and walked out to the street and towards the traffic jam.

(please forgive any errors throughout the story. Thank you)