Chapter 3: We take a highway through hell

"Johnny are you sure you don't wanna come?"

It was 6:00PM and Johnny said he and Jess were going to stay. Brian obviously didn't want that.

"Yes, Brian. We're going to the shipyard. We'll hijack one of the boats and stay at sea 'till all this shit blows over." Johnny replied.

Zack and I were emptying out the toolbox in the back of the truck to make room for Brian's guns. Noah was carrying a scoped rifle over his shoulder and another rifle with a sight on it in his hands. Isaiah was carrying a shotgun in his arms and two revolvers on his belt, and Brian carried two glocks on his belt and one in his hand. The one in Brian's hand had a larger clip than the others.

Brian gave us each a single gun. Guess he actually trusts us.

"Alright," He said. "I'm going to give you each a side-arm. No complaining."

I got one of the three 44. Magnums, Noah had one Glock 17, Isaiah had the Glock 20, Brian had the other Glock 17, and Zack had another revolver. The other guns were put into the tool box in the back of the truck.

We were leaving the child (whose name is actually Matthew) with Jess and Johnny.

"Guys," I said, "small problem. There are only four seats. Five of us."

"I'll get in back, guys." Zack volunteered. "Keep 'em off of us, in case there are any on the highway."

"Zack," Brian said, "are you sure?"

"Pfft, yeah man. I'm the best shot." He gloated.

"Ok, guys." Johnny said. "Good luck. If anyone can survive it's you, Brian."

"Thanks, Johnny." Brian replied. "Goodbye and good luck, brother."

Brian and Johnny clasped hands and patted each other's back. Jess gave Brian a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You guys sure y'all don't need a gun?" Brian offered.

"Naw, dude." Johnny replied. "I have a 22. and a snub-nosed 44. We'll be ok."

Brian smiled. "Alright. Load up, boys!"

"Jimmy?" Zack waved me over. "Here ya go." He slapped something into my hand.

CAR KEYS?!

"Uh, Zack?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"These are keys."

"Yeah. You're driving." He said nonchalantly.

"I don't even have my license!"

He laughed. "Yeah, like that matters."

"You're trusting me with all of our lives."

"Yup, mine mostly." He checked the clip in the rifle then cocked the gun. "Try not to get me killed, right?"

"Uh…"

Zack took a knee in the back of the truck. Brian and Noah got in the back passenger seats, and Isaiah got in the front passenger seat.

Ok, Jimmy. I thought. Deep breaths.

I got into the driver's seat, put the key into ignition, and started the engine. Johnny and Jess waved one last farewell and then took off towards the convertible at the side of the house, Jess with Matthew in her arms.

We hit the highway. Brian, Noah, and Isaiah were staring out of their windows grimly.

"Ugh! It's too damn depressing. Let's turn the music on." I said, clicking the radio's on button. Highway to hell by AC-DC started playing. Isaiah's frown started turning upside down. In no time we were singing with the band.

All my friends are gonna be their too.

We turned out of the dirt road, onto the highway, and started our long journey to Jackson. Then, after Jackson, our hope, our salvation.

I'm on a HIGHWAY TO HELL!

As soon as we hit the highway, I started from 40 to 75 miles-per-hour. I immediately saw the difference in the highway since last time I saw it.

There was fire at many of the houses, there was a lot of gunfire, and there were people running around screaming: complete and utter carnage.

I heard closer gunfire. Too close.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Zack. Zack was on a knee, firing and firing fast. He shifted sides of the truck several time.

"JIMMY!" I turned my focus back to the road a millisecond too late.

In the middle of the road was an infected woman ripping into a man's stomach.

"SHIT!" I yelled. I swerved the truck to the left, into a ditch, and onto the other side of the highway. This side was worse. It was littered with the corpses of humans and vehicles alike.

"Zack?" I yelled, slowing to 46 MPH.

"I'm good." He replied, pulling himself up back into the truck.

"Guys?" I asked.

"I hit my head, but I'm ok." Noah replied.

Brian was silent. "I think Brian hit his head a little harder though. Let me check his pulse. Yeah, He's alive." Noah said in Brian's stead.

"Guess Jimmy and I are the only ones not dinged up. Keep driving, Jimmy!" Isaiah said.

I maneuvered the fat-assed vehicle through the chaos and destruction, weaving my way between wrecked trucks, drifting around cars in the middle of the road, and dodging the many dead bodies.

Then, every new driver's worse nightmare came true. In the distance, there was an eighteen-wheeler barreling towards us. It was an Optimus Prime-looking truck, with a wooden board on the front, which seemed to have nails sticking out of the front. There seemed to be an infected man impaled by the chest, struggling to get out of his sharp prison.

We were both barreling toward each other, both going between 75 and 95 MPH.

"Jimmy?" Zack yelled. "I hope you know what you're doing!"

"Yup!" I yelled back. "I have no idea!"

200 yards

150

"Jimmy!" Isaiah and Noah shouted simultaneously.

I swerved to the right, narrowly dodging a fiery death. Although, I didn't seem to think things through.

Over the cries of my friends, I drove dead into a field of vehicle carcasses. Trucks, cars, Jeeps, and Fords. You name it. I barely dodged an upside-down Mercedes by swerving to the left and then driving through inferno created by oil between a sideways eighteen-wheeler and blown-up Jeep Wrangler.

As I kept maneuvering my way through the field and Zack kept burning through his rounds, about half a mile ahead of us another explosion happened. On both roads, though.

Just my luck. I thought. Cars blocking the roads.

"Jimmy, stop!" Zack yelled. "Ya can't make it!"

"If I stop, these bastards'll catch us!" I yelled back. It was true. A distance behind us a huge crowd of infected swarmed, sprinting towards us.

If I stop, chances are we'll die. If I keep going, we'd have a small chance. So I did the smart thing. I put the pedal to the metal and charged towards the flames.

Well, let's just say it wasn't my best idea.

As I came up towards the inferno, I saw the silhouettes of several wrecked vehicles in my path.

"JIMMY!" Zack screamed.

There was a Mustang flipped upside down, forming a make-shift ramp over the debris.

"Jimmy, do not try it!" Noah yelled.

Well… I tried it.

I hit the ramp, the shock sending a wave up my spine and making my gut feel upside down. As we flew through the air, I heard Zack scream, "JIMMY! You BASTARD!"

We hit the ground hard, bouncing twice. I heard Zack laugh like a psychopath, Noah was groaning and breathing heavily, Isaiah just looked stunned, and Brian was out cold.

For a moment, everything was alright. We laughed and were glad to still be alive. But then, my luck caught up to me. As dusk closed in, it silhouetted many things, such as a bloated body in the middle of the road. I should have been more observant. The body passed under the right wheels of the truck, I heard my friends yell, and Brian moan.

We just hung there for a second, tilted on our left wheels and all of us screaming. Then the truck slammed on the side. As soon as the truck made contact with the ground, everything went dark and I lost consciousness.