The Long Road
Chapter 10 - A Night In Jail
Although Derek had gotten his fair share of speeding tickets, he was finding it hard to keep up with Sheriff Carp and the others. The brute power of the Tahoe just wasn't a match for the little import on the back roads. A couple of times he thought he had lost them, only to see brake lights flash in the distance.
Derek reached up on the dash and grabbed his cigarettes and lighter. It had been a good while since he had smoked, and now that his adrenaline rush was wearing off a bit he needed something to fill the void. That's always how it seemed to work with Derek. He loved to smoke, but even when he didn't have an urge or a craving he would use it to substitute for something. Food, sleep, happiness; just about anything you could think of.
As he lit it up and rolled down the window, Daniel turned on the radio. Derek thought this was a really ignorant idea seeing as how they were trying to chase a car at night with dozens of flesh eaters on their tail. Normally he would have just flicked it back off, but the incessant crying of the women and child had really gotten on his nerves. Even Chuck let out a slight whimper from time to time.
"Turn that shit off!" Derek yelled at Daniel.
"I am trying to see wha..." Daniel started.
"I don't give a fuck," Derek said, turning the knob. Daniel turned his head and looked out the window like a scolded dog.
"Why can't you stop with all the language and the insults?!" Karen screamed at him, still holding the tail of her dress over her bloodied nose, "Aren't you worried about your soul?"
"The only thing I am worried about," Derek said, "Is getting the hell away from those things. If you're so worried about peoples' souls then why don't you just shut the hell up and pray or something?"
"There's a little kid present," Chuck said.
"You can shut the hell up,too," Derek replied.
"Just... just leave him alone," Livie said through her sobs, "when he get's like this there's no talking to him."
Karen mumbled under her breath as she turned her head, and Derek seriously thought about giving her a another taste of his fist. It was very tempting to him. Law didn't seem to be the order of the day anymore, so whenever someone got out of line he could knock them to the ground, or even shoot them if they had done or said something really stupid. He still had to think about the sheriff though.
"Dude, look out!" Daniel yelled and pointed to the road. A man with a chunk of flesh missing from his shoulder stepped out from the woods.
"Oh no!" Karen said, "Billy!"
Derek didn't care if she knew him, or even if he was undead or alive. Someone had once told him if you ever got in a situation where a deer jumped out in front of you not to hit the gas or brake pedals and to keep the wheel straight. Livie let out a scream and thrust her hand out on the back of the seat ahead of her as the vehicle neared the man.
"What are you..." Karen said.
Everyone jerked forward a bit as the man's body was flung in front of them with a loud "thud". Karen and the boys' screams fell on deaf ears as the Tahoe rolled over him, the sound of the body being crunched under the Tahoe's weight making her retch.
Derek saw the tail lights turn down a road roughly a quarter mile ahead and hoped he could find the same road. Luckily, it seemed to be the only one that branched off on this stretch of road. He cursed when he turned, not seeing the tail lights anymore.
"He's heading to the police station," Chuck said in a distant voice.
"Well how do you get there?" Derek asked.
"Take the first right and it will take you into town," Chuck said, "You should be able to see it on the right."
Derek nodded and followed Chuck's instructions. After the next turn, he entered a place that seemed to defy the flow of time. The gas station had only one pump, looking like it had come right out of a 60's horror movie. A few other buildings littered the street; a small doctor's office, a mom and pops' grocery store, a hardware store, and some others. They were all made out of aged wood or metal siding. It blew Derek's mind how old this town looked.
The sheriff's department was much the same; an older looking wooden structure with an old country porch. The rocking chairs on it and the screen door added to the nostalgia. Derek pulled right beside the empty import. Apparently the others had already went inside.
Derek shut off the engine and took out the keys. Daniel and Livie were the first ones out of the truck, followed by Karen and the boy. Without a word, Karen ushered the boy up the steps of the porch and inside. Derek put the keys and his cigarettes in his pocket, then opened the door and stepped out. Chuck slowly exited the vehicle, his old bones not allowing him to move as fast as the others.
"What are we gonna do?" Livie asked Derek as she wiped her eyes.
"Are you sure we need to stay here?" Daniel asked. Derek looked at both of them, nodding in approval as Daniel opened the passenger door and grabbed the rifle.
"Hell, I don't know," Derek said, "I'm not too fucking excited about sitting in this shithole while we wait on someone who isn't even coming to rescue us, but I don't even know where the hell we are. It looked like those things were coming from the way were going anyways."
"Were I you," Chuck said as he ran a hand through his short, gray hair, "I would bunker down here for at least the night. You're tired, son. You don't look like you have slept in a good while. Not comfortably at least. When you're tired, you don't pay attention. Do you want to be out there as tired as you are when a bunch of those abominations storm down the road?"
Derek weighed the situation as best as he could in his exhausted state. Reluctantly, he realized that Chuck was right. It wouldn't do him and the others any good if they took off without any idea of where they were going. Whether he liked it or not he had taken on the responsibility of taking care of Daniel and Livie. He wouldn't risk it. Not now. Besides, there was probably more food to be had somewhere in the close vicinity, allowing them to keep what little stores of food they had.
"Whatever," Derek said to Chuck, "We will sta..."
"There he is James!" a woman's voice said, "Arrest him!" It was Karen's voice. Derek rolled his eyes and turned to face her as she stomped out of the building, the sheriff and two other people close behind her. Derek remembered them from the church. Paula was the woman's name. She was probably in her forties, but she dressed as if she were still in her teens. Normally it wouldn't bother Derek but she had that nasty, almost sluttish look to her. Her greasy hair and thin dyed-black hair didn't help things either. The young man, trying to look intimidating with tattoos, piercings, and a shaved head despite his short and slender figure, looked familiar to Derek but he couldn't put a name with the face.
"What the fuck?" Derek said, "What kinda shit is she trying to start now?"
"Well," Sheriff Carp said, "She says that you hit her. Is this true?"
"You're damn right I hit her," Derek said as he took a few steps back, "She wouldn't fucking listen to me."
"Hey, now watch the language!" the sheriff said, "No matter what is going on, there's still law and order in this town, and I despise a man who hits a woman. I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest you. You can be properly booked when all this mess is over with."
Sheriff Carp stepped forward, prompting Derek to back-pedal into the street. This shouldn't be happening, he though. In the middle of all this carnage he was about to be arrested. Sheriff Carp moved, almost as if he were going to tackle Derek, when someone else spoke.
"He saved her life," Alicia said as she stepped out of the truck. No one had noticed that she had stayed in the truck after they had all exited. Sheriff Carp stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her.
"Excuse me?" Sheriff Carp said.
"I said he saved her," Alicia said in a low voice. She scratched one of her arms as she looked down at the ground, a bit nervous about bringing herself into the situation.
"We were all in the truck," she continued, "fixing to leave, and Derek jumped back out to save her and Kevin. Dale was..." she choked up, but fought back the tears, "Dale was hurt, then he turned into one of them, so Derek shot him. Karen went crazy. That's when Derek punched her and carried her to the truck. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't be here right now."
Karen's face went cold for a second. Derek couldn't believe that in spite of saving her, she would try to get him thrown in jail. She was a pastor's wife, after all. It didn't matter though. Once he had gotten some sleep where he could think clear he wouldn't help her out again regardless.
What had really surprised him was how Alicia had taken up for him. Daniel had pretty much let her know that he planned on leaving her for dead. Of all people, she should have been the one with any type of grudge against him. If Derek had it to do over again, he still would have made the same choice, though.
"Karen," Sheriff Carp said, "Is what Alicia is saying true?"
Karen began sob heavily. The seriousness of her accusation had set in when the sheriff turned to her. With her hand to her mouth to stifle herself, she nodded.
" I can't believe you," the sheriff said, "This man may have hit you, but you know he saved your life. Why, then, would you try to do this to him at a time like this? At any time period?"
"He...he killed Dale," she said as she pointed at him, "He doesn't need to be here. He needs to leave."
"I don't think so," the sheriff said, "You need to go inside and lay down. Alicia, take her to one of the cells. Give her a blanket and a pillow."
"You're putting me in jail!?" Karen exclaimed. Sheriff Carp shook his head.
"No," he said, "Now just settle down. A little sleep will do you good. It will do all of us good. Now everyone get inside, and we'll decide who will stand watch."
"Wait a fucking minute," Derek said, "Why aren't you going to put her in jail for lieing?"
"No," he said, "Now everyone shut up and get inside!"
XxXxXxXx
"Things seem to be getting back to normal in some parts of the mid-west," a middle aged man in a suit declared on the round-the-clock news which had taken over most of the tv stations. "Northern Texas seems to be stable as well, however with all of the refugees slipping past the military outpost around the Mexican border, we can't be sure that it will remain so for long."
Tonight's broadcast bored Derek greatly. At first he thought it was because he was still sleepy. It hadn't taken long for everyone to volunteer him for first watch, but it took even less time for him to tell them where to go. When he had refused, Sheriff Carp and Daniel had been chosen, but the tattooed man, Nick, had elected to do it in the sheriff's stead. Derek and the Sheriff Carp were the second watch. When Daniel had roused Derek from the cell he shared with he and Livie, Derek almost smacked him he was so tired.
When he had exited the cell, he glanced at the others as they slept. Livie was curled up in her blanket, tossing and turning in what was probably another bad dream. In the next cell the little boy, Kevin, was cuddled up next to Karen while Chuck slept in the floor, his shotgun by his side. Nick was bedding down in the hallway. Derek didn't care too much for him. There was a strange vibe coming from him. Derek noted that he should keep an eye on him.
Paula was in the last cell. Derek couldn't help but take notice of her cloths laying next to her naked body, covered up by the blanket. As trashy as he thought that was; sleeping naked around all of these people at a time like this, he couldn't help but get a little excited and he eyed her for a moment.
But where was Alicia? He guessed she was the sherrif's daughter or possibly a friends. She was probably in some nice, cozy bed in the back while the rest of them slept on cots. Must be nice.
"In spite of increased government efforts, the west coast and Florida have been deemed lost. Reports from military officials trapped in these areas are aiding the rest of the military to plan a tactical strike against some of the larger cities in hopes of eliminating large numbers of the infected in lieu of a ground attack..."
There were ten of them. It seemed too perfect of a number to Derek for the situation at hand. Five men, four women, and a boy. Derek was beginning to get angry at this point. While everyone was fast asleep, they should be scouring the town for supplies and ammo. He had guessed that it wouldn't be too long before the group that had decimated their numbers at the church would find their way here.
"In world news, Asia and the Middle East are still in a state of turmoil. Not only is the infection ravaging these areas, but war has flared since the very beginning of this catastrophe. Africa has also been hit very hard, and it has been impossible for international aid to reach them. What little bit of food the U.N. has been able to send has been air-dropped to some of the less populated areas..."
"Is there anything good on?" Derek asked with a yawn, ashing his cigarettes in the archaic ashtray on the sheriff's desk.
"Nope," the sheriff said as he cleaned his pistol, "Most of the channels are off the air, and what few aren't are showing the same thing. They're trying to make everyone think things are getting better, but I don't see it."
There was an awkward silence then. Neither one of them were really watching the tv now. Derek regretted saying anything to the him. He hated cops more than just about anything in this world. Even more so than the zombies. His hopes for silence were dashed when Sheriff Carp spoke.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Derek," he said, hoping by using Derek's name to sound a bit more personal, "But you have to realize I would have only been doing my job."
"Whatever," Derek said, "You just like to throw your weight around and boss people around, just every other cop in America."
"Oh really?" the sheriff said.
"Yes," Derek said, sitting up defiantly. In just the span of a few seconds he was wide awake, pumped with adrenaline.
"What makes you think that?" the sheriff asked.
"You were going to put me in jail without even getting my fucking side of the story," Derek said. "You don't care about justice, only your own brand of it."
"No," the sheriff said, "If you had really hit Karen out of anger or malicious intent, then it would have been my job to put you in jail, especially at a time like this. Do you think it would be a good idea to let someone who's potentially mentally unstable roam the streets?"
"You're just spouting off the same shit every other pig says," Derek said, wishing he could pull his .357 from his pants and blow the sheriff away with no recourse from the others.
"You've been in trouble before, haven't you?" Sheriff Carp asked. Derek looked at him with eyes aflame as he answered.
"Yes," he said coldly, "I served a year for assault, possession of an illegal firearm, possession of marijuana." The sheriff chuckled, shaking his head.
"Your parents must have had a lot of money," he said, "I bet they knocked it down to a misdemeanor, too, didn't they."
Derek went silent. The sheriff was absolutely right His parents had indeed spent a lot of money to get the firearm charge plead down to a misdemeanor offense. It sickened Derek how he sat there in front of him, so smug and smiling.
"You mother fuckers killed my brother," Derek said in a low, menacing voice, "I hope you all die and burn in hell."
The sheriff's face went blank. Derek's face was flushed with anger, tears beginning to well in his eyes. This was the first time he had thought about that day in years. Now, he had one of them in front of him, and this time he had a gun,too. If nothing else, he could take Sheriff Carp down with him if it came to that.
"I'm sorry to hear that son," Sheriff Carp said. "But I will tell you something, and I want you to listen to me."
"What the fuck do you have to say?" Derek demanded as he trembled.
"Between you and me, I don't think this mess will blow over any time soon," the sheriff said, "The army is already spread out too thin, and I have heard that some of the other police and sheriffs' departments around here have already been over-run. We haven't heard hardly anything from the government in days. Just those puppets on the news station.
"There is a new era coming, Derek. The world is going down quick. I don't know if it's the end times, or if this is something we have done to ourselves, but there will be a new world. You won't be bound by your past anymore, and that computer entry with your name on it will probably never be seen again. I want you to think about that, young man."
What is this mother fucker talking about? Is he trying to be my friend? Dumb bastard. I hope he rots like those fucks outside.
Derek seriously contemplated pulling out the .357 and doing exactly what he wanted to do for years now. Yet something held him back. The thought of Livie and Daniel, and even the others. As much as he hated Sheriff Carp, Derek's score would have to be settled later.
"Yea, well fuck you," Derek said as he lifted out of the chair stormed to the front of the station, watching the shadows move in the night.