Chapter Two: On The Road Again (Unfortunately)

There's something about Tallahassee that screams homicidal maniac. I mean, we're talking about post-apocalyptic world here- all of us are a few teacups short of the full set, else we wouldn't still be here.

But back to Tallahassee. So he's pretty crazy, but, you know, that's okay. So long as he unleashes that side of him on the zombies and not us, I'm a happy camper.

But... sometimes that redneck says or does things that make me want to take that gun and shove... well, you get the picture.

-

Thud.

"Shit! Ah..." Columbus opened an eye to the still, black house... and, more predominantly, Tallahassee shining a torch in his eyes from a few feet away. He fumbled for whatever had been thrown at him, and lifted up a hardback book. He observed it for a long moment under the light. Lord of the Flies.

"You have a sick sense of humor," he hissed as somewhere in the darkness beside him Wichita stirred. There was a sudden fast motion as she lunged for her rifle instinctively. Columbus touched her shoulder. "S'okay... just Tallahassee."

Tallahassee smirked and finally turned the light away as he left the room to wake Little Rock- in what would, most likely, be a more humane manner. "We're headin' out in fifteen minutes. You Cabbage Patch Kids get your brains awake and your asses in those seats."

"We'd better get going." Wichita muttered sheepishly. Columbus glanced down and handed her over the gun. "Thanks." He wasn't sure what exactly she was thanking him for, but he nodded all the same. She slid up, touched his shoulder briefly before going downstairs.

"Great."

-

Little Rock shivered slightly inside the cold car as they pulled out of the driveway and took off. Wichita wrapped an arm around her and fished the scrap of paper out of her pocket. Side by side in the back seat, the pair silently read through the letter again.

"Any ideas about who Green is?" Little Rock asked everyone in general.

Columbus tore his eyes away from the dawning sun on the horizon and looked back. "What do you mean? The one who wrote the note?"

"Yeah."

"Looks like they must've been the leader."

"Seems like it."

"But, seriously... what sort of name is Green?"

"Yeah, Columbus. Green... what a strange name, eh?"

Columbus gave an eye roll and smiled a little, resting his head back. Tallahassee sped up as he saw one of the creatures making it's way across the highway. There was a squelch. "That's, what... six in the last four days you've killed on the road? You're on a roll."

Little Rock shook again. "Someone turn on the heat. I'm freezing my butt off."

The boys did so, and soon both of the girls were snoozing in the back seat, Little Rock's head on her big sister's side. Tallahassee drove onwards, eyes focused on the road. Columbus flipped idly through Lord of the Flies. At one point he nudged Tallahassee and motioned to the book, reading aloud:

"Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Sort of gets you thinking. You know, laws, rules... they mean fuck all out here in Z Land. They don't apply... they're gone." He seemed a little perturbed.

Tallahassee shrugged. "I've got bigger things on my mind, kiddo."

"Such as?"

"Such as why Wichita is so tired back there when she so clearly had a very sound sleep last night." He winked tauntingly, and Columbus shot him a look.

"Give it time."

"I ain't sayin' you don't have time- hell, if we reach this port and get to sea we got no more obligations. But that 'if'..." the car shuddered as it clattered over another one of the infected, and the two in the back jerked awake. "is the important part."

"What...?" Little Rock murmured, looking ahead with bleary eyes.

"Nothing. Seven in four days, though. I am on fire, baby."

-

"We've been driving a grand total of four hours." Wichita announced suddenly. The other three piped down. "And that means..."

"Quiet game?"

"Nah."

Little Rock crouched forward suddenly, reaching over Columbus's arm to slam open the CD compartment. "That means," she filled in for her sister. "that we are now allowed to take desperate measures to escape the mind-blowing boredom."

"Go on." Tallahassee encouraged. He slowed down and momentarily parked the car on the road.

Little Rock grinned.

Moments later the truck was tearing up the highway, the entire population of the car bellowing along to Michael Jackson's Thriller.

-

Stupid as this sounds, I think it was always the little, ridiculous things like that that kept us sane... or semi sane.

And I suppose it's always when you've been driving for a full, relatively uneventful day that you tend to expect the something bad is going to happen just to make up for it. Well, maybe that's just me.

But in the end... that's exactly what happened.

-

"Get those guns out the window... there's five or so ahead..."

Sure enough, moments later the truck's vast headlamps illuminated a sight for sore eyes. Tallahassee stopped the car and his eyes narrowed a fraction.

A small group of zombies were collected around the the spot at which a red car had collided with a tree at the side of the road. The wreck was barely discernible, twisted around the trunk like a snake. A few cannibals were huddled around something nearby, and two slammed repeatedly into the crushed metal.

But a second later, all of them had eyes only for the parked truck.

"Easy... easy."

A long moment passed, and then all five came at full pelt towards them.

Tallahassee slammed the door open just as one of them reached. It fell back with a crack and before it had a chance Columbus had leaned over and caught it twice in the face. The five were taken down with relative smoothness, not counting one stick moment in which Little Rock had almost left it too late and only shot a cop once it was a foot or so behind her.

Columbus shot each zombie one last time in the head for safety's sake, and then Wichita grabbed Little Rock by the collar and dragged her backwards. "Waitta scare the shit out of me there."

The preteen opened her mouth to respond, but Tallahassee cut her off.

"Better come take a look at this."

The other three joined him near the wreck of the car, and Columbus tried to pull Little Rock away. She gave him a look and resisted.

"She didn't stand a chance."

"You think she was hurt from the crash already?"

"Yeah, check out the trauma to the head. And three guesses what actually caused the crash..." A meaningful glance was thrown at the dead creatures around them.

"C'mon, Little Rock. We'll roll the body down the hill- keep any more on the horizon busy. You two- check out the car. There might be some salvageable stuff in there."

They made their way over to the car and peered inside the smashed windshield with difficutly- presumably where the woman had been flung from on impact. Inside there was another body, a man, pressed at a horrible angle.

"You think they couldn't reach the body 'cos of the angle or something? It's pretty twisted."

Wichita took his bloody arm without much issue and moved it away from the latch to the glove compartment... and that was when he opened his eyes and started to splutter.

"Fuck, fuck!" Columbus yelled, tripping over himself as he moved back.

"T... T-Tessa. Where's Tessa?" the young man coughed. A torrent of blood suddenly streamed down his chin, and he looked down at his mangled body. Tears shone across his face. "I'm dying... I won't make it... no. Where's Tessa?"

Tessa. Something struck a bell in Wichita's mind. "Tessa... Tessa. Wait. Are you Green? Are you one of the party heading for Maine?"

"They... attacked the car. The others... they were too far ahead. Didn't stop. Couldn't. Find Tessa... please."

Columbus sucked in his breath and moved a little closer. "Was Tessa with you in the car? Before you hit the..."

The man nodded, and then gave a moan of pain.

Columbus opened his mouth, eyes full of regret, but Wichita put a hand on his chest to silence him. "Tessa's fine. She's safe." Columbus gaped at the bare faced lie, but she ignored him. "What's your name? Are you Green?"

"I'm... it's Freddy. Tell Tess... tell her to find Green. Tell her they won't wait... she has to hurry. Tell her."

Wichita nodded slowly. "I'll tell her. I promise." Columbus flinched.

"... I'm gonna die now, I think."

"That's okay, Freddy. We're here." She found his good hand and squeezed it gently in hers. Several more tears spilled out of his eyes. And so he died.

-

I couldn't believe she'd lied like that. I mean... he was dying, I knew that. We both knew. But... he died thinking the woman was okay. That's not right...

Rule Number Twenty One: Don't kid yourself; false hope is even worse than no hope at all.

Right?

-

They met up again on the hillside by the road, both pairs empty handed.

"Well, you two look like you've seen a ghost... or a horde of flesh-eating zombies, whatever." Tallahassee's smile dropped gradually as he took in Columbus and Wichita's expressions.

"What? What is it?" Little Rock asked.

"It's nothing," Columbus stated coolly. "C'mon, we don't want to get behind of schedule."

Wichita glanced back at the car, some yards off, and after the others were in she threw herself into the driver's seat before starting up the engine.

-

A/N: Fast update, I know. Don't get your expectations too high though... I don't want to disappoint. Thank you thank you, my wonderful few reviewers. =] I hope you like this chapter- share whatever elements you had some particular thoughts or feelings on. Oh, and I have a question for you- who do you think is right, Columbus or Wichita? Rule Number 21 or 'little lies do no harm'? I'm curious to see what you have to say on the matter.

Thanks again, and reviews are just lovely. They make me schmile. :)