Evie was pacing her bedroom. She knew something was happening. Something big. Something bad. School had been canceled because of the crazy virus that had been spreading lie crazy. Her mom had been working crazy hours at the hospital where she worked as a nurse in the ER Evie wasn't surprised that she'd been gone when she woke up, it was a fairly common thing. So Evie had called her dad asking him to come to get her when he got finished with whatever he'd been doing with her Uncle Merle. He wasn't home, also not a shock, so she'd left a message and started packing for a few days in the woods with her dad, and possibly her uncle, depending on how far they wanted to push her mom's buttons this time.
She'd heard yelling outside and a few gunshots and she was starting to freak out a little. When she peeked out the window she'd seen her neighbor getting attacked by the mail carrier. "
Talk about going postal." She muttered to herself.
Dark, sarcastic humor aside, it was starting to damage her calm. It wasn't until she saw the man across the street literally be torn apart by some of the other people she knew lived on their street that she truly started to get scared. A little voice told her to call the cops but sadly, against all of her mother's hopes, she was a Dixon. She'd been told all of her life by her dad and uncle not to trust cops. Her mom had tried to stamp that mistrust out but it was too late. The damage had been done when she'd watched the cops arrest her uncle Merle when she was a little girl. At the end of the day, she may look like a normal suburban teenager, but she was a Dixon to the bone.
So she did the next best thing, called her Daddy again. She wanted to cry when it went to the answering machine. Hanging up she tried three more times before finally remembering her dad have given her Merle's new cell number.
Running through to her bedroom where she'd stashed the small scrap of paper in her secret hiding place, a shoebox hidden in the space above the ceiling tiles, she dumped the whole contents on her bed and frantically searched until she found it.
Almost crying with relief,m she dialed the number quickly. No answer. Trying again, the same result. Finally, on the third attempt, she could have cried when she heard her uncle's voice
"WHAT?!" he yelled into the phone.,
"Uncle Merle!" She almost yelled into the receiver. "Thank God!"
"Evie girl?" he asked, his tone going from anger to worry in an instant.
"Yes!" She almost squeaked out. 'Is daddy with you? Please God, tell me he's with you!"
'Yeah Evie girl, he's with me. We're on our way to pick you up. 156 minutes out. Here's ya daddy." she could hear rustling until her dad's voice came on the line.
'Babygirl hold on, we're coming. We'll be there in 15 minutes tops.' he reassured her.
'Daddy something is happening." she said, fighting not to whimper. Dixons don't whimper., "The neighbors are attacking each other. One was torn apart. Literally daddy. Torn … apart … "
"I know babygirl. It's some sort of virus. I'll explain when we get there. Now I need you to be ready. We have to leave. Pack your shit. Only essentials. As many clothes as you can fit into those two duffels I bought you. Pull out that crazy emergency kit your ma has. All your weapons. Have everything by the door ready to throw in the truck." He explained.
"Okay Daddy," she said quietly.
"Is your ma there?" he asked.
"No. She's at the hospital.": she said, hearing him sigh.
"Call her while you pack. Tell her we're taking you somewhere safe." He told her.
"Okay, Daddy." She answered. "I love you."
"Love you too babygirl." He said softly. "Call your ma. Might be a while before you see her again. City's shut down."
With that, she heard her Dad hang up. She had her orders and did as she was told, dialing her mom's cell.
"Evie?" She heard her mom's panicked voice
"Mom?!" she exclaimed. "What's going on?! Daddy and Uncle Merle are on their way to get me. But something is wrong. People on our street are attacking each other. I saw Mr. Peters torn apart in his yard."
"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry." Her mom said and Evie could hear the tears in her voice. "Baby listen to me. This virus that's going around is worse than everyone thought. Listen very carefully, baby. It is passed by biting and scratching. If you get bit you die and then… then you come back. But you're not you. You become this walking dead thing. Don't let them bite you or even touch you. The littlest scratch is fatal."
"Oh, God!" Evvie said. She'd been working on repacking the bag she'd already packed and started the second as she listened to her mother. "When are you going to be home? We have to go! Dad and Merle will be here soon. They said they're taking me somewhere safe. You need to meet us there."
"Oh, baby." Her mom said and she could hear her choke up. "I'm not going to be able to meet you."
"What do you mean?" Evie asked, pausing in her packing. "Is the hospital on lockdown or something?"
"Or something." Her mom said softly. "I… baby, I need you to listen to me. I love you. So much. You're the best part of me and the best thing I've ever done."
"I love you too mom." Evie said, tears swimming in her eyes. "Why does it sound like this is goodbye forever and not just for a while?"
"I don't know when I'll be able to get out of here or when I'll be able to find you. I just want you to be sate."
Evie wasn't stupid. She knew there was more to it. Until it clicked in her mind. "You're bitten." She whispered, scared that if she said it any louder it would make it real. "Aren't you?"
She heard a sniffle on the other end of the line. "Yes baby, I'm so sorry."
"Mom no!" She whimpered. "Please be joking!"
"I'm sorry baby. So sorry. But I want you to promise me something."
"What?" Evie asked through her tears.
"Live. For me, please live. This will not break you. You're too strong to give up. You're too much like your daddy and I have never been so thankful for that until now. Your dad and your uncle will keep you safe. What is it he says?" Jo prompted her daughter to answer the line she'd heard from Daryl and Merle a million times in the past.
"Evie sniffs and straightens her shoulders as she answers. "Nothing can kill a Dixon but a Dixon."
"Exactly." her mom answers. "You will survive."
"Okay." she says quietly.
"I have to go but I want you to grab my jewelry box. Take your Nana's rings and my St. Christopher necklace. Carry us with you. I love you."
"Okay, I will. I love you too." Evie said right before the line went dead.
She withheld the sob by sheer force of will and running to her mom's room. She made quick work of grabbing the aforementioned jewelry along with her Papaw's ring and her mom's perfume. Putting on the necklace, she went back to her room and slid the trinkets into an inside zipped pocket where they would be safe.
Evie quickly finished packing, tossing her favorite book, journal, iPod, charger, and the set of throwing knives her dad had given her into a messenger bag. Grabbing the pictures taped to her mirror and her national medal from three months ago, she ran to the kitchen and grabbed the ziplock bags. One for pictures, one for the medal, and another for the jewelry she'd grabbed from her mother's room. Running back to her room she moved the jewelry to its allotted bag and shoved all three into her messenger bag.
Once packed she carried all three bags to the front door, placing them where she was told. Once done she went to the hall closet and pulled out her mom's emergency kit. It was a huge plastic tote stuffed full to overflowing with medical supplies such as gauze, over-the-counter medicines, bandages of all sizes, creams, and various other things she'd carried home from work absentmindedly over the years; even a few unopen sterile syringes had found their way into that box. Another, slightly smaller box on top of the medical supplies held things like candles, a couple of flashlights, batteries, matches, and various other things. Honestly, Evie wasn't even sure what all her mother had stuffed into these boxes, just that they were there in case of an emergency. Both were heavy so she simply forewent attempting to carry them and simply left them stacked and pulled them into the living room with her bags. If her dad wanted this they must be going way off the grid.
With this in mind, she ran back to her room and grabbed her blankets and pillows. Along with her mom's and the extras in the closet.
With the way both of her parents had spoken so urgently and fearfully, and the information her mother had given her she knew, deep down. That she wouldn't be coming home for a long time and that this thing, this virus, wasn't something that would be handled quickly. Her dad and uncle were taking her off-grid, as far off-grid as possible from the sounds of it, and they would need everything they could get their hands on to weather this shitstorm.
She may be young but that didn't mean she wasn't smart. Her uncle Merle said her brain was a dangerous thing and she processed everything quickly, automatically sifting through data and coming up with plans and backup plans. It was helpful when you in the woods with her dad and uncle and with everything she'd dealt with surrounding her education and career.
Looking around the house she wondered if there was anything else she should have ready when her attention landed on the kitchen. Making a quick trip to her mom's room for the luggage stored there and the cooler in the garage she set about packing everything she could in the kitchen. All of the non-perishables in luggage and all of the drinks in the cooler.
Looking at the clock, she realized it was going on an hour since she talked to her dad. She was worried. Sacred something had happened to him.
As the thought cr4ossed her mind she heard the distinctive sound of her uncle's motorcycle pulling into the driveway. Peeking out the living room window he saw her uncle park his bike in front of the porch, her dad pulling up in front of the garage.
Uncle Merle jumped off his bike and ran up to the front door, knocking frantically. She let him in as quick as she could and jumped into his arms burying her face in his chest.
"Hey, Evie-girl. Uncle Merle's here." He said, squeezing her tight. "It's all gonna be alright."
"You're late." she mumbled, "I thought something happened to you and Daddy."
"Naw girl. Now you know I taught you better than that. Nothing can kill a Dixon but a Dixon." He said sitting her back on her feet. "We stopped to pull my bike out of the back of the truck so we can haul more supplies. Now run open the garage door so ya Daddy can pull the truck in and close it as soon as he's in."
"Okay. she said turning and running to do as she was told.
She skidded into the garage, slamming her hand on the button to open the door for the older truck. The minute her daddy's truck cad cleared the garage door she pushed the button to close it back behind him.
"Daddy!" yelled Evie as she ran around the truck and jumped into her father's arms as soon as he was out of the truck.
"Babygirl, you okay?" he asked as he held his daughter close.
"Yeah," she said trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Mom's not coming. She was bitten at the hospital."
"I know babygirl. She called me after she talked to you." he said and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Let's get packed and get out of here."
Setting his daughter down on her feet he directed her back into the house where he saw Merle coming out of the bathroom with a bag full of stuff.
"Our girl's a smart one. Already has all the food in the house and all the blankets and pillows packed and ready." Merle said and both father and daughter could hear the pride in his voice.
"Daddy said grab the big emergency kid. And with what mom said I knew you two were planning on off-grid," she said by way of explanation.
"Good thinking baby girl." Daryl said squeezed his daughter's shoulder. "Let's get all this packed." he said moving over to the pile of luggage and grabbing two heavy cases.
"Evie, go grab all that camping shit ya ma bought a couple years ago and throw it in the truck." Daryl said as he headed through the kitchen to the garage.
"Okay, Daddy." She said, following him into the garage and moving over to the far wall and pulling the sleeping bags out, and stuffing them into the bed of the truck before going back for the two tents.
Freshmen year the school had done a camping trip for all the new freshman and her mom had chaperoned. Evie hated it because for the most part all these city kids didn't know their ass from their elbows in the woods but now she was thankful.
Once the tents were in the truck she grabbed the inflatable mattresses her mom had insisted on, even though Evie was used to sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground. They were quickly deposited in the truck as well.
She grabbed the bag that held small things for camping like wet start matches, a solar-powered battery charger (another of her mother's requirements for what she called 'roughing it'), some camping cookware and dishes, a fire starter, and various other odds and ends her mom had found in the camping store and sworn she needed. Evie thought they may actually come in handy now.
She was focusing so hard on what needed doing so she didn't think about what was happening to her om. She couldn't. Not now. Too much to handle. She knew if she thought about it she would fall apart and they didn't have time for that. She could fall apart once they were safe.
Tossing the folding camping chairs into the bed of the truck while her dad and uncle continued packing the bags she'd already prepped, she thought of anything else they might need and got an idea.
Running back into the house she grabbed her half-empty messenger bag and went to her room. Running to her dresser, she grabbed her polaroid camera and all the film she had before dumping them in her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she grabbed the tote that held all of her scrapbooks and albums, dumping them out and taking the tote to the bathroom. There she grabbed every single towel or rag she could find, thankful she'd done laundry last night.
She didn't mind getting dirty as most girls did. She just preferred having the ability to get clean again every once in a while.
While in there she noticed the shower and medicine cabinet had already been cleaned out.
Closing up the tot she hauled it back to the truck and slid it in next to the cooler her dad had just put in. Opening the front passenger door, she deposited her messenger bag in the floorboard and saw her dad had already put the betting in the back seat where her compound bow was resting with her quiver. Her mom had refused to have it in the house so it stayed at her dad's. She was glad he grabbed it but wasn't surprised.
It wasn't long before the house was stripped of anything necessary and the truck was packed.
"Alright, lets' get on the road Dary. Head for the rock quarry outside the city. We can camp there. Plenty of access to water."
"Alright. Jump in babygirl." Daryl said as he climbed into the driver's seat.
Doing as she was told, she scrambled into the passenger seat right as her uncle pushed the button to open the garage door. In mere moments the truck followed closely by Merle on his motorcycle was speeding down the road to what would hopefully be a safe place for them.