A/N: Okay, let's address the elephant in the room: I know nothing about gas stations or cars. So if you know about cars and/or gas stations, let me know! The scenario I've created might be a little bit of a stretch, so give me just a tiny bit of slack, pretty please.
Also thank you to isabel_rose for leaving such a kind comment on this fic a few days ago and inspiring me to get back to the grind.
Enjoy, y'all
Somewhere in Eastern California; May 21, 2010; Day 3
Two things happened almost immediately.
First, the backdoor of the gas station exploded off its hinges and the man in the door frame seemed to reel back and roar. Second, Elizabeth launched herself across the counter to grab Ciel by the collar and yank him back over. By some miracle, Ciel found himself on his feet and Lizzie's hand tight around his, as they burst through the doors and booked it toward the van.
Alois shouted over his shoulder but never faltered in his break-neck pace. "Fuck the petrol, let's go!"
Lizzie finally let go of Ciel's hand as they approached the car, "Okay, so we can drive a few miles away, and hopefully find another station?"
Alois slammed against the car and scrambled for the door handle, Lizzie doing the same and sliding into the front seat. "Whatever works! Let's just go!"
Once Ciel laid his hands on the car, a terrifying screech pierced the air and fear scorched Ciel's back like fire.
When the glass of the station's front door exploded and the figure stood out in the sun for the first time, Ciel's stomach turned at the sight of him.
The figure was human—or rather, used to be human. His eyes were a piercing red that seemed to glow unnaturally in the sun. Blood covered his body in patches. A red stain sat underneath his knee, dripping down his pants leg and onto his bare feet. Another ruined his shirt, dripping from a fresh bite wound on the man's neck. But each bloodstain looked well past dried like someone had trapped him in that room for weeks even though the world had only ended on Monday.
"The car's not starting!" Alois called from the front seat of the car, but Ciel did not hear him as he watched the man stagger. Ciel could not help but keep his eyes locked with the man's—they were bright red and his gaze effortlessly sliced through the distance between them and cut directly into Ciel's soul.
"Get in the fucking car!" Alois screamed, shattering the trance Ciel had found himself in. And Ciel finally dragged his eyes away from the man to turn towards the car as he slid into his seat.
"Start the car, what are you doing?" Ciel said, panicked.
"Wow, thanks for the advice!" Alois screamed back at him. Lizzie was frantically turning the keys but the engine refused the turnover, letting out an ugly continuous growl.
Ciel whipped around in his seat to lock eyes with the man as he staggered forward, blood and saliva dripping down his chin. Ciel couldn't help but continue to watch the man take step after step toward them, seemingly moving in slow motion while they moved as fast as they could.
"Is he infected?"
"I think you can figure that out yourself, Ciel," Lizzie said, still frantically turning the key. "Alois, keep an eye on him! He's moving slowly so we probably have some time."
Just then, the man reeled back and let out a horrid scream that easily rang above the noise of the engine. At the sound of it, Alois and Lizzie stopped messing with the ignition and paused.
The telltale echo of responding screams rang out over the horizon.
"Is he… communicating? Are you fucking kidding, they can communicate ?" Alois said.
"We have to go now," Lizzie said, punching the dashboard as hard as she could and then turning the key once more. The car angrily growled back, and with one loud pop turned over, and finally— finally —roared to life.
The man limped after them as the car pulled out of the station, and Ciel watched him until he faded into the horizon.
After a long moment of silence, Ciel finally spoke his mind. "He wasn't human, was he?"
Alois turned in his seat to look at Ciel. "Fuck if I know."
Lizzie made eye contact with Ciel in the rearview mirror and Ciel could not place the emotion shining in her eyes. "That's what the virus does. And that's why we need to get out of America before it spreads anywhere else."
"How do you know it hasn't?" Ciel countered.
Lizzie broke eye contact. "I don't. But does anyone have another plan?"
Ciel didn't, so he stayed quiet, turning in his seat once again to peer out the rear window. "How much longer until we're really out of gas?"
"30 miles," Lizzie said.
"Do you think he'll follow us that far?" Alois said.
And that was the last thing anyone said for a while.
When the car finally died, they were about three miles out from the next station but Lizzie screamed in frustration. She punched the wheel over and over again, the car's flat horn honking pitifully under her assault.
Ciel empathized with Lizzie's rage, but he could not tear his eyes away from the horizon. The sun was setting over the desert, and the sky was beautifully lit up with purples and pinks.
But more so than that, the sunset backlit the outline of hundreds of figures staggering toward their broken-down car.
It was monstrous, and Ciel couldn't look away. They had to be at least 50 meters away, but the flatland left them all in full view, so the group could watch as the mob slowly closed the distance.
Finally, Lizzie slammed the car into neutral and looked pointed at Ciel and Alois, eyes still red and puffy, but angry all the same. "Get out, we'll push this fucking thing if we have to."
They shoved the car up the desert road in tandem, sweating and straining and staring at the figures that grew ever closer with each minute. As the trio reached the station, the hoard wasn't too far behind, and some began to lift their arms, grabbing at empty air. Ciel especially didn't like that image, because they were almost close enough to start grabbing them.
Once the van was lined up next to the nearest gas pump, the trio split up automatically, each running to their unspoken roles. Alois turned and grabbed the gas nozzle, waiting for Lizzie to head to the driver's seat, put the car in park, and pop the gas tank. Ciel made a beeline for the store, looking for some sort of button or switch to activate the gas pumps.
Once he put his hands on the entrance, he faltered briefly, terrified for a moment at what he might find in there. But the moment left as soon as he came, especially when he could hear the moans of the creatures behind him, and he pushed into the store.
He was immediately struck by the mess of it all; bloody handprints marking the walls and shelves. The glass doors of fridges were shattered and dripping with beer and coffee. Ciel carefully tip-toed around the larger shards of glass on the floor and slid underneath the desk until he was face-to-face with the cash register. There was a small switch beneath the desk marked with the "gas pump" sticker, similar to the previous station. When he switched it on and stood up to peer out the window, he could see the numbers above each pump light up and his friends immediately getting to work.
The light of the pumps also began to illuminate the gaunt faces of the creatures surrounding the station.
As he moved to climb back under the desk, his foot slid back and connected with something that made a hollow-sounding thud against the floor. Out from beneath a shelf of cigarettes rolled a baseball bat.
Ciel didn't even have to think about it, grabbing it as he climbed under the desk and made his way toward the door.
As he marched out, Lizzie was shaking the gas pump to savor the last few drops of fuel that they could squeeze out of the machine. Alois called to Ciel, pointing with his free hand and at a man standing on the opposite sides of the car.
The man's lower jaw had apparently rotted off, and his tongue wiggled fruitless in the air as his red eyes glared with a desperate hunger at Lizzie.
Ciel reacted before he realized he was reacting, and he felt powerful for a moment as the bat cracked against the man's head.
But the enthusiasm immediately faded as Ciel watched the man's head cave in on itself effortlessly, as if his skull was made of jello. Ciel stood over him, confused and disgusted. He was not afraid of defending himself, but he'd never seen such gore.
Ciel's mouth began to salivate and his stomach twisted tightly, and before he knew it, he had thrown up on the concrete before him. He was frozen, trembling as his eyes flit between the man's splattered head and his vomit.
"Ciel! Please, let's go!" Lizzie cried desperately, and Ciel snapped out of it at the sheer panic in her voice. He also had finally noticed the sound of the car's engine alive and well.
He turned, still dizzy and gripping the bat with what little strength he had left, and ran toward the car. As he opened the door and climbed in, he noticed two creatures stumbled toward the collapsed man and bent over him. If they were going to eat him, Ciel didn't want to know.
Lizzie tore out of the station and deliberately rammed into a creature on her way out. The impact and obliteration of the creature beneath the wheels of the van left Ciel feeling queasy all over again. And as Lizzy broke free from the crowd of creatures and began speeding down the empty road, Ciel cracked the window to give himself some fresh air and try his best not to vomit in their only transportation.
Over the sound of the tires and the engine revving tirelessly, Ciel heard that all too familiar screech. The station was slowly shrinking from view, but the chorus of screams rang out in the desert night, and Ciel rolled up his window.
"Are we gonna talk about what happened, Ciel?" Alois asked, twisting in his seat to look at him.
"Not unless you want me to blow chunks," Ciel said, closing his eyes tightly.
When Ciel opened his eyes again, all he could see were the van's headlights cutting through the deep black night of the desert. Alois seemed to be asleep in the passenger seat, or at least just very uncharacteristically quiet. Lizzie's knuckles were still white around the steering wheel, but she seemed less panicked than before.
"Elizabeth?" Ciel said softly, but Lizzie still jumped at the sound. "Are you alright? Do you want me to take over driving?"
She looked at him in her rearview mirror briefly, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you, Ciel. But I won't be able to sleep anyways, I think I'd feel better if I just kept driving. I don't think we're too far off."
Ciel gave her the best reassuring smile he could muster and turned to gaze out his window.
"What you did was so brave, Ciel."
Ciel looked back up toward Lizzie, but she was focused on the road. "The first one's always the hardest, and I don't think you ever really get used to it."
Ciel furrowed his brows in confusion. "How do you know what it's like?"
"My parents are in the military, and they're not the type to shelter their children, you know this."
"You speak like someone who's bashed a head in before," Ciel said, waiting for her to look at him.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ciel. I'm just trying to comfort you." Lizzie continued to look at the road.
"Well, considering the fact that the last time, we spoke—"
Lizzie's eyes finally caught Ciel's in the mirror. And simultaneously, Alois sprung from his seat and made a grab for the wheel. "Look out!"
Alois turned the wheel sharply, but the car continued to barrel towards the largest man Ciel's ever seen.
He was 10 feet tall and covered in blood, and when the car smashed directly into him, Ciel saw stars.