Chapter 20

Pushing her into the room, he bolted the door from outside. I'm not doing anything wrong. This is for love. I'm doing this for the one I love. Mara and I will be together forever. No one will separate us.

       "Don't do this. She's my only child. She's all I've got in this world and the kid. That woman isn't your wife anymore."

       "My wife needs to eat. She's been starving for days. You don't have to worry," He pointed, smiling confusingly. "I won't kill Aguilera. Once my wife's done, I'll give your daughter back to you. I promise." With that said, he untied the rope holding his wife and held it. "There's no guarantee anyone of you will make it out alive. She's going to die anyway."

       I have to do something. I can't let my AG die so maliciously. Old Grandpa Larry held the table as support and got up gradually. He stared at his wounded arm and then at his grandchild before staggering towards Mr. Jerry.

       Where am I? What just happened? Mr. Jerry, my child! "Dad!" She moved back quietly as Mr. Jerry's infected wife opened her mouth, her eyebrows dancing with joy. She moved swiftly like a tornado, hands trying to grasp Aguilera. "Dad!"

       "AG!" Mr. Larry whacked their new neighbor hard on the face. He pulled the rope holding his wife, making sure to tie it around his waist. "Jacob's okay. I've got everything under control, Dear!"

       Mr. Jerry stood in vexation and penetrated his fingernails into Larry's injured arm, making him cry in pain. All efforts to snatch the rope failed as Larry's fatherly love overshadowed and overthrew him. He ran into the kitchen and pulled out a knife then walked back to Mr. Larry. "I don't want to do this."

       "Then don't." Mr. Larry pleaded faintly. It was getting increasingly difficult to hold the rope as the infected's determination to bite Aguilera knew no end. "That lady is not your wife. She's dead. No matter how many people you feed to her, she's not going to come back to you. You have to let go to move on."

       "Keep quiet!" He spat. "My wife got infected all because of your son. If she hadn't left the house that day for that ridiculous birthday party, she would have been alive today. She's all I've got in this world and I'm not going to lose her now. I don't know how but I'm not going to give up on her ever." A huge fistfight broke out between the two men.

       Jacob rubbed his heavy eyes and sat up, looking at his Grandpa in sympathy. He twirled around but didn't find his mum. "Grandpa!"

       "Jacob."

       Mr. Jerry pushed him away and freed the rope. He danced around like a child and stopped to listen to Aguilera's cry.

       AG.

      "Grandpa Larry, where's mum? She said she wouldn't leave me so why isn't she here?" He fretted. "Why is everyone leaving me? I'm not a bad person."

       Mr. Larry drew him close to his chest and caressed him. He drew his lip between his teeth before ensuring the kid everything was okay. I need to get Jacob out of here. I won't let this maniac harm my only grandchild.

       That's strange. Why ain't I hearing any noise from inside? Is she dead already? Mr. Jerry reasoned.

       "Kid, immediately I open the door, run as fast as you can into that car." He pointed at Joy's car. "Uncle Jerry is a bad man."

       "What about Mum and Hannah? We have to get them."

       "Sure. I'll get Mum and Hannah." Is it worth it? Mr. Larry got up with great plight. His aged legs couldn't take the pressure. This kid would go through a lot if he survives. He doesn't even know he has no family. Maybe it's best if we just died here together. "Just focus on running out and nothing else. I'll be right behind you."

       "But Grandpa,"

       "She must be dead already." Mr. Jerry pulled his ear away and unbolted the door. Hardly did he look in, his wife pounced on him. "Aguilera!"

       Aguilera ran out of the room, panting. She hugged her son, grabbed his hand and her fathers' and was about to leave when Mr. Larry pulled his hand away. "Here's my friend's address. Don't stop until you get there. I'm coming."

       "Dad, I'm not fleeing without you. You're aware of what this lunatic is capable of so why do you insist on staying back?"

       "Baby, it's me!" Mr. Jerry pushed his infected wife away and didn't make it out when she grabbed his legs. "Don't do this!"

       "Mr. Larry isn't a bad man. He's in love. Get out of here quickly. I promise I'll be there once I save him."

       "But Dad,"

       "AG, you have to leave. It's not just because of Mr. Jerry. Someone needs to stay behind and buy you guys some time to elude." The living dead outside the house fell on the door, making disturbing noises. Mr. Larry picked up Jerry's gun lying on the sofa and pointed it at the door. "Get going and don't ever look back. I'll be there."

       "It's a promise. If you don't show up in the next one hour I'll have to come back here and I don't care what happens to me. If you love me as you claim then you had better stay alive or Jacob would grow up without a mum."

       Too much threat. She's just like her mum. He scowled and then went over his plan. Once he was sure she had understood everything, he pulled the doorknob and fired the gun at the walking corpses running towards them.

       Aguilera and her son ran hurriedly, not looking back until they got to Joy's car. She stabbed the living dead trying to attack Jacob and entered the car. "Are you alright, Son?"

       Jacob nodded in response. He waved goodbye at Grandpa Larry after which Aguilera drove off speedily. Her hidden driving skills were only exposed then. She had no idea she had that recklessness in her. The fight for survival did reveal a lot of things about a lot of people. Her right hand firmly on the steering, she punched the bulging eyes demon that brought his hands into her car and held her by the shirt. She drove in circles, crushing the knees of the infected till it flew across the road. "Mum! You're a genius. You always talked about road safety but you're breaking it. How intriguing."

       "Son, this isn't a time to be sardonic. We have to get to Grandpa's friend's house. That's the only way we won't get eaten and turn into," She grabbed her axe and cut off the head of another. "That. Here," She passed him the small dagger in the backseat. "Use this and stab those monsters." I can't believe I'm telling my son to kill someone. This is insane and also agonizing. "Jacob, there are too many of them. I can't fight them alone while driving."

       "Then stop the car. I'm afraid, mummy."

       She brought her head out of the car and looked back at the uncountable number of infected obsessive fans chasing after them. "I can't stop the car." She made a U-turn and drove down a small neighborhood. The people living there had already been infected. One of them growled at her and Jacob. His head had gotten stuck in a window, and on the floor was a small child Aguilera assumed was his son.

       As they drove past the houses, Jacob stared at the infected. His tender heart sank. He watched as some of the infected feasted on other humans that hadn't been infected.

       Aguilera shook her head at his request. She took pity on them but there was no way she could stop the car and save everyone. If choosing to save her son was considered selfish then she didn't mind being called that. She turned his face away from the window when one of the infected ladies lurched past their car with an open belly, her intestines had been ripped out. She tilted her head in their direction and continued walking. Aguilera turned to observe the lady. She was indeed blind as she guessed. The lady's Sense of vision was probably her ears and nose.

       Jacob clutched his chest with both hands and his legs trembled when a man in tattered clothes bumped into their car. He begged helplessly for Aguilera to take him along. She horned continuously, pleading with him to leave the way. The infected behind them were running eagerly to catch up with them. The man cried and pointed at his house. His wife and kids had already been victims of the crucial virus. "Mummy, help him, please. He's not a bad person." Jacob rubbed his palm against each other and entreated. Fresh tears trickled down his cheek as he continued to implore on the guy's behalf. "Mum, you said we should always help people in need. He needs our help."

       "Jacob, this isn't a time to be irrational."

       "Just help him! If you had opened the car since we would have left here a long time ago. He's helpless and needs you. Why are you being mean?"

       Why am I being mean? I'm trying to help him and he thinks I'm mean. The last time someone trusted a friend, he tried to feed us to his wife. Why can't he understand that? I miss Hannah right now. "I can't." Defeated by her son's obduracy, she opened the back door for the guy. She didn't even get to tell him to come in when she saw him inside the car already. She inhaled and exhaled thrice then continued driving.

       "I'm grateful. I can't tell you how happy I am right now." The man behind appreciated. He brushed his clothes and asked for drinking water. Jacob turned a deaf ear to his mum's instructions and passed him the water in his backpack. "Thanks, kid. You're a nice child. If my son hadn't died, you two would have been great friends."

       "What's his name?"

       "Mark." he gulped down the water at once then gave the empty bottle back to Jacob. "I'm Mr. Philip. I moved to America six months ago because of my job. What exactly is happening? My wife, kids and I were at home when our neighbors started pouncing on each other. At first, I thought it was an altercation but then it looked like a riot. What's happening, Aguilera."

       Without flinching she replied, "I have no idea either. Some people say it's a virus and I don't just know." Just then she twirled around and focused her attention on the road. "How do you know my name?"

       "You're a popular Inspector, who wouldn't know you?" Jacob yelled excitedly.

       "True. Your son is very correct. I've seen and heard a lot about you from people."

       Jacob. This kid is going to put me into trouble. How do I know now if I can trust what he says? Aguilera. Not many people know me so how could I be popular in this small neighborhood I've never seen in my life? "Holy crap."

       "We are being followed from behind as well." The man informed. "It's going to be impossible to get out from here. It's a one-way drive."

       "Thanks for stating the obvious, man I do not know."

       "Turn off your engine." He instructed sharply. "The noise coming from the car is what's luring them. Turn it off now or there would be a stampede. There's no way we would survive that."

       She did as instructed and then moved to the backseat with Jacob. I hope this works. I can't lose my only child right now. I also need to go back and save Dad.

       "Mum, I'm tired. I can't breathe here. It's suffocating."

       "Use your inhaler, Jacob. Just a few minutes and we'll be out of here. Please endure it."

       "But, mum."

       "Jacob, let's play a little game." The man adjusted and then turned Jacob's face in his direction. "I'll ask you a question and you reply to me accurately, okay?"

       Jacob nodded in agreement. He dropped his inhaler in his backpack and listened attentively.

       "Who is the President of America?"

       He narrowed his eyes and then said, "President Joe Biden."

        Good. "Correct answer. My next question." The man raised his head to see if the living dead had gone. Some of them teetered around the car. "Okay. How many Oceans do we have and name them."

       "Five Oceans. The Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Antarctic Ocean."

       A smile spread across Aguilera's face. She didn't realize how much she had missed out on watching her son grow up due to her job. She relaxed her head on the window, waiting for an opportunity to drive out of that neighborhood. The living dead weren't the only things she was scared of. Angry and hungry survivors. There were many of them hiding and waiting for an opportunity to come out.

       A security guard ran out and was getting close to the car when a living dead lunged at him. He raised a hand, waving at the car but no one made a move. Jacob remained quiet. He knew if he said a word at that moment, Aguilera would get upset and yell at him. He buried his face between his legs and covered his ears from the cry of the security guy. Five other young guys ran out and fell on the floor as the living dead tore and sucked them dry. It felt as though they had given up on the government and their fake promises. Aguilera tried to persuade the woman not to come out. She had her attention fixed on AG as she walked outside slowly with her child. "They are dying willingly. I'm sure they are starving and frustrated. I can't believe this is happening. That child."

       "I get your point, Aguilera. But there are too many of them out there and two of us. Coming out is a terrible idea and a suicidal one to be exact. Life happens. There's nothing we can do to help them." I hope she doesn't do anything foolish.

       This is unjust. Why does life have to happen to them? They are innocent people. No one deserves to go through this. That kid didn't do anything wrong.

       "Come here fucking lunatics! Come and have me!" The lady spread her arms and screamed. She threw her baby at one of them rushing up to her and chuckled insanely. "You bloodthirsty lunatics. You won't stop until you have the last human on Earth, right? Kill me! What are you waiting for? You've taken my husband, kids, parents, and friends!" Her voice echoed. Her motherly instinct couldn't deal with the pain. She broke down in tears, hands shivering as she witnessed her baby being torn apart and chewed by the unquenchable thirsty lunatics.   

       Just when everything was going according to their plan, the last few monsters walked towards the lady with watering mouths, and Mr. Philip's phone rang. Aguilera didn't wait to process everything, she jumped into the driver's seat, pulled the brakes, and drove back then opened the other door and dragged the lady in before driving off at top speed. 

       "Seriously? In times like this shouldn't you have known better to leave your phone volume on...."

       "I'm sorry. I didn't remember. I was too skittish and scatterbrained with what to eat that I didn't think of that."

       "You've been here for fourteen days and you didn't think of that?" How remarkable. I can't take this crap anymore. Everything about him is so weird.

       "I'm sorry. I was insensitive and I get it! I just didn't know, okay? I barely get calls on a regular day so it didn't cross my mind." Why is she taking out all her anger on me? Is this a transfer of aggression or what?

       "Mum, he's sorry. He didn't mean any harm at all." Jacob hugged Philip. His ability to get close to people easily scared Aguilera. "Mum, we are being followed."

       Shit.

       "Keep going. I've got this." Philip searched around his trouser pocket and pulled out a grenade. Aguilera recognized it in an instant. "Drive faster. The distance between us is narrow. I can't throw it out now!"

       He's talking like it's some candy he's holding. How did he even get a grenade? It's not like they sell it in the market or something. He's cynical. Everything about this guy doesn't make sense.

       When he was certain the distance between them and the zombies had broadened, he threw it out and brought his head in.

       "Bullseye!" Jacob jubilated. "Will you be my friend?"

       Huh? Friend. "Kid, I'm..."

       "Please. All my friends are dead, Hannah's back at home, and Grandpa isn't with me. Mum is always busy with office work. I don't have anyone aside from you now. Please be my best friend."

       Geez. Why is this happening now? "Don't do that." A chill ran down his spine and his stomach ached. He nibbled on his lower lip. It wasn't what he was expecting.