“Alex, let’s get her to a bed,” Paul said.
Alex looked up and nodded, then picked his wife up in his arms. “You’re so cold, Marta. Talk to me mi amor.” “It’s in my head,” she whispered in his ear.
A spike of iciness plunged down the middle of his back. “Who’s in your head Marta? Eliza?” She shook violently, with a force that almost caused Alex to drop her. “Much worse, it’s Tommy!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Tracy’s Car
“That guy was huge!” Dizz was telling Sty, as if Sty hadn’t been there to witness it himself. “His bicep was bigger than my thigh,” Dizz added with amazement, as he sized himself up.
“Yeah, like that’s hard to do? Mrs. T’s arms are probably bigger than your spindly legs.” Tracy and Dizz simultaneously yelled out, “Hey!”
“I meant no disrespect to you Mrs. T,” Sty added slyly, leaving Dizz out of the response.
“Hey pretty lady we should have taken the doggie,” Angel said to Tracy . “I would have been able to hold him in my lap.” Tracy looked over to the small girl. “Honey, I think he’s bigger than you. You would have had to sit in his lap.” “Dogs have laps?” Angel asked in wonderment.
“It’s a figure of speech,” Ryan said from the back seat.
“I’ve got your finger of speech right here!” Sty said, flipping his friend off.
“Oh, I’m telling!” Angel said, catching a glimpse of the ‘dirty finger,’ as her mom used to call it. When she realized there was no one she could tattle to even though she was only playing, she started to go back down the path of sadness.
Tracy watched the girl’s head bow. “Plus it wouldn’t have been safe to bring Henry in this car,” Tracy told her.
“Why, is he mean?” Angel asked. “Does he have big teeth?”
“No, way worse.”
“Way worse?” Dizz asked with concern. “Does he have rabies or something?”
Tracy shook her head in the negative.
“Come on Mrs. T, what gives, does he turn into a werewolf or something?” Sty asked, getting sucked in.
Angel sat up straighter so that she could look through the windshield at the car they were following. Henry was seemingly staring straight back at them. Angel ducked down under the dash to be out of his line of sight. “I think he knows we’re talking about him,” she whispered to Tracy .
All three boys followed Angel’s lead and peered into the lead truck. “Does he know?” Dizz asked, getting himself a little spooked.
Tracy was a moment away from dismissing the thought, but the more she looked at Henry the more she thought that maybe on some level he did know.
“Is that why he’s dangerous?” Angel asked. “Because he can read thoughts? If I think of dog biscuits will he like me?” Angel scrunched up her face. Tracy imagined that she was thinking hard about dog cookies.
“Henry’s dangerous because of his farts!” Tracy said, emphasizing the last word.
Angel’s deep thought lapsed as she started to laugh out loud. The desired effect Tracy was shooting for was met.
“Really?” Dizz asked. “Because right now he looks mad,” he added, pointing to the back of the truck.
Of course they couldn’t hear him but Henry was barking up a storm. Tracy was left to wonder if maybe the dog had another trick or two up his sleeve.
Meredith’s Car
“We really should have made Henry ride in Tracy’s car,” BT lamented as he pulled his shirt over his face. “You should call your dad and let him know we’re coming back.” “You do realize I’m driving, right?” Meredith told him through clenched teeth, hoping that she would be able to filter some stink that way.
“Fine, but if I pass out from the fumes, it’ll be on you,” BT said, turning around to fumble with the radio.
“I’m willing to take that chance,” Meredith told him.
“Yo, crazy Talbot number one!” BT yelled into the handset.
“Damn! You get any louder and he’ll pick up your echo.”
“Sorry,” BT said sheepishly.
“BT? This is Ron, you’re early, everything okay?” Ron asked.
“Yeah, Tracy found us out and is bringing some kids back,” BT told him.
“What? Okay BT, let’s start as if I’m not there and I have no idea about what you’re talking about.” BT spent the next few minutes laying out all that had transpired that day.
“Man, I’m glad you’ve got Henry,” Ron said.
“I’m not,” BT said.
“I’ve been looking for him for hours. Mike would have killed me. How long before you get back here?” Ron asked.
BT turned to Meredith for an answer. “Three hours tops according to your pain-in-the-ass daughter.” “Yeah, try living with her for the better part of twenty-three years,” Ron voiced.
“Dad?!” Meredith exclaimed.
“Love you honey,” Ron said. “See you guys in a few hours. Out.”
“I think I can come to like that guy,” BT said with a smile on his face as he sat back down. “Wake me when we get there.” He folded his arms and rested his head against the headrest. As his eyes closed he was nearly asleep, Ron’s pain pills taking full effect.
“BT, wake up!” Meredith said, shoving his arm as hard as she could. He barely moved. “BT, get your ass up!” Meredith yelled this time.
“Damn girl, you made good time, we there already?” BT asked as he stretched his arms out.
“Not quite. We’ve only been driving about an hour and a half.”
“Why isn’t the car moving?” BT sat up straight. He followed Meredith’s line of sight. About a quarter of a mile up the roadway was a roadblock.
“It’s cops,” Meredith said.
“Doubtful,” BT finished.
Tracy had pulled up alongside Meredith’s car on BT’s side. She rolled down her window. “What do you guys think?” Tracy asked. Angel was peering over Tracy ’s lap to get a better look at the mountain of a man.
“Even if they were cops once, which I’m not inclined to believe, I don’t think that they are out right now ‘to serve and to protect.’” “Kind of what I thought,” Tracy agreed.
BT thought she looked scared. ‘Makes sense,’ he thought, ‘I am.’
“Any ideas?” Tracy asked hopefully.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Meredith asked.
“I know you didn’t just ask that,” BT said.
“BT, I don’t want to go guns all a blazing with the kids in the car.”
“Hey pretty lady, the policeman turned his lights on,” Angel said, pointing up the road.
“Yeah and the other one is waving for us to come up there,” Meredith noted.
BT turned to the backseat and grabbed a rifle to make sure it was loaded, then turned the radio back on. “Ron, this is BT, over.” A few moments later a response came forth. “Hi BT this is Mark, did you find my sister yet?” Ron’s youngest asked.
“Not yet buddy, is your dad there?” BT said, looking over his shoulder to see if the police were advancing.
“We had another zombie come up this morning, almost got to the house because Gary wasn’t there to guard anymore,” Mark said.
“Yeah, I heard that before,” BT answered, paying absolutely no attention to Mark. “Hey Mark, I need your dad, it’s pretty important,” “He’s outside, he’s setting up some fencing.”
“Don’t care kid, GO GET HIM!” BT said with force.
“Ass,” Mark said as he let the mic drop and hit the floor. BT and Meredith jumped from the loud noise in the cab of the car.