Wichita stopped just in front of an abandoned 4x4. "Well, here we are." She quietly announced. Little Rock and Tallahassee were dozing in the back, leaving just the two of them to talk. Columbus stared quietly at the vehicle, debating whether or not he should actually do it.
What if Wichita was right? What if Columbus was burnt to the ground? His hesitation prompted her to speak again. "Uh… if you take the I-40 that goes up north, you should pass through Nashville and Kentucky. The road should lead you straight there." Columbus sighed and unbuckled his belt. He paused before he opened the door. "Pacific Playland is Zombie free, you say?" He asked. Wichita nodded, but looked confused. "Ok. I'll uh… see you there, I guess." Columbus gave a shy wave and got out of the car.
He knew it would take a while to get back home. The journey from where he was, (just outside of Memphis) would take a little over 9 hours. It would be worth it he kept telling himself. He'd finally find out if his family was still alive. Columbus felt a little bad for just leaving Tallahassee without saying goodbye. If it wasn't for the man allowing him to tag along, he'd still be wondering around on the freeway that lead out of Jackson in Mississippi.
Columbus had been very careful on what he said about his family to the others. All he'd ever said was "his family" he never specified who was in his family. Sure, the others had probably guessed that he had a mother and a father and maybe a sibling. That was the standard American family: a father, a mother, a son and a daughter. He had a mother and father, obviously, but he also had a twin sister. She hated living in Columbus so as soon as she could leave, she did. His sister, Lily, had a burning desire to live in a huge city like San Francisco or New York. For a while, Lily lived with his aunt and uncle in the big apple, but then she was forced to come back for Columbus' graduation. Plus, their aunt and uncle divorced and moved out of the city. Once he'd finished graduation, he went off to Garland and she went back off to New York.
They didn't see each other again. The z-virus hit before Columbus had finished his first year. He'd hoped Lily would venture back home as well. She could always take better care of herself than he could. She was far more social and far more street wise. This being said, Lily had defended Columbus several times growing up. Normally from their drunk father or the bullies on the streets.
The truck he was driving in suddenly started to scream at him, alerting him to the low fuel. Columbus found a small gas station and filled the tank up full. The price, should he have had to pay, was staggering. One of the few perks of Zombieland: you didn't have to pay for anything. Before he set off on his journey, he grabbed 6 red bulls from the garage to keep him going and looked at a map. It looked like he'd just passed through Nashville, so he'd probably be another 5 hours. Downing one redbull, he took off again.
Around 3 and a half hours later, and 4 red bulls later, Columbus finally entered his hometown. Seeing as there was no traffic, he'd made it there relatively quickly. He'd managed to shave a whole 90 minutes off of his journey. Driving through his home city gave him serious deja vu. A small part of his heart sunk when he saw how burnt to the ground it truly was, just like Wichita said. He approached his old cul-du-sack and was shocked to see how many zombies there actually were. Columbus picked up his gun and made sure it was loaded. He clicked the safety off and sat it in the passenger seat. None of the zombies paid any attention to him as he cruised through, they were too busy fighting over who got what organ. Columbus felt a little sick as he drove up to his old street.
A few zombies were dotted around, but one caught his eye. That fuckin prick, David. His childhood bully. Columbus didn't care if he used one of his few bullets on him, so he shot him right in between the eyes. David dropped to the ground dead.
Columbus felt a sick sense of satisfaction.
Driving down his street opened wounds he thought had healed. Like when he dad had thrown him out for getting his first B in 1997, or when the time Lily had came back with her first boyfriend and their dad had brought out a shotgun and threatened to kill them both. Hell, even when he'd walked Lily back after she'd gotten an abortion after her boyfriend raped her. Their dad had called her a slut and all sorts of other vile names.
Columbus would be happy to shoot him, zombie or not. He pulled up outside his old (mostly still intact) childhood home and heaved a sigh of both relief and exhaustion. Columbus picked up his gun and took a deep breath: he was expecting to see his mother safe, and his father to be long gone. He'd always gone on 2-3 week long "business" trips every month. Columbus couldn't see his sisters Ford Fiesta, and his heart clenched painfully. She'd either not bothered to come back, or she was a zombie. Both options stung.
He shook off his depression and opened the car door. A zombie stumbled towards him, so he shot it in between his eyes. Columbus heard a feral shriek from around the corner, so he darted into the house.
Columbus expected to see his mother as a human. She was always very private long before the zombie crisis. He was also expecting to see his father. Hopefully as a zombie so he could shoot him. But what he didn't expect: his sister to be shouting profanities at their parents. "Lily?" Columbus couldn't help but ask. He re adjusted the grip on his double-barred shotgun. The Zombies that were once his parents turned away from his sister and snarled at him. "I'd love you reminisce with you, Noah, but I'm kinda occupied at the minute!" Lily shouted sarcastically from her position pinned under their mother. Columbus' dad suddenly jumped at him, snarling and going for his neck. Columbus jumped and shouted. He pulled the trigger and a bullet went through his dad's chest. He collapsed onto the floor, twitching. Columbus shot him in the head, stopping all movements forever more. Lily's shout suddenly dragged his attention over to her. Columbus aimed the gun at his mothers head but hesitated slightly. This was his loving mother… no. No it wasn't… This was a monstrous person, intent on killing his last family member. Columbus couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he pulled the trigger.
A loud shriek, not zombielike, rang through the hall. "You fucking idiot! You SHOT me!" Lily yelled. Columbus swallowed deeply and shot at his mother's head. She gurgled and moaned but didn't drop dead. Lily suddenly grunted and swung something heavy at her head. Their mother went down like a tone of bricks.
Columbus dropped his gun on the floor and rushed over to his sister. She slid down the floor, clutching her leg tightly. "I uh, I have some first aid stuff in my car to help?" He stuttered out. Lily looked up and glared at him fiercely through her blonde fringe. "I think I need more than just a first aid kit, Noah." Columbus rolled his eyes and hauled her up. "Lean against the wall, I'm just grabbing my gun." Lily leant heavily on the wall while Columbus grabbed his gun.
"Ok, it looks like the bullet went right through. I can just clean it and wrap it for you?" Columbus asked after tending to his sisters calf wound. Lily glared at him from her position in his boot. "I'm not fucking surprised." She snapped. Columbus ignored her and began cleaning it with some antibacterial wipes he found. "How long were you here before I was?" He asked. "I don't know, an hour or so?" Lily answered, wincing. "I presume you came from New York?" He asked, somewhat bitter. Lily rolled her eyes. "I know your still pissed off that I left when I did." She answered. Columbus narrowed his eyes as he wrapped up her calf. "That didn't answer my question," He sarcastically retorted. Tightening the bandage and making sure it was secure, Columbus stood up. Lily looked up at him through her hazel coloured eyes. "I'm sorry," Was all she said.
Columbus sighed and pulled her into a hug. They stayed like that for god knows how long. "God, you have no idea how nice it is to find someone human to hug." He said into her hair. "How long have you been alone then?" She asked into his shoulder. Lily stood at 5' 4" while Columbus stood at 5' 7".
"Not alone alone. Just… not with particularly friendly people. I drove from Garland to just outside of Memphis. Then I hitchhiked with another dude for a while before 2 girls joined us. Sisters," Columbus spoke. Lily sighed heavily. "I rode with my boyfriend till just before Dayton. He was bitten when we stopped off for food the evening before and didn't tell me." Columbus didn't need to ask what happened. It was obvious she'd killed him and drove the rest of the way here by herself.
Once they were in the 4x4 and well on the way out of Ohio, Lily finally began talking about her life in New York. "As soon as the virus hit, I left NYU for Ohio again. I figured you'd make your way back as well." Columbus briefly looked away from the road to analyse has 10-minute-younger sister. Her eyes were way too bagged for a 23 year old, and she looked far too aware of everything. Almost like she was drugged. "Hey, I've uh… I've heard that Pacific Playland is completely zombie free… wanna head there?" Columbus asked, trying to strike up a conversation again. Lily turned to him, confused. "That amusement park in L.A? The place with over 12 million people living in?" She asked.
Columbus felt himself deflate slightly. She was right. Lily suddenly let out a deep sigh. Then she patted his arm. "Sure, let's do it. What else have we got to lose?"
Somehow, with those words, (even if they were somewhat sarcastic) Columbus knew that he'd be ok: he'd found his sister after 4 years.