Life After the Undead (Completed)

PART 8: Road Trip .8

Connor's P.O.V.

I don't know what happened. I don't remember blacking out, but I must have because when I come to again I'm on the ground. Did I faint? I had never really done well in stressful situations so I wouldn't be surprised if I had. Am I going to admit that I did? Hell no.

I pulled myself up and realized that the whole alleyway reeked. I had a spray of this translucent green splatter on my jacket sleeves and I had been lying in a puddle of gooey blood. There were pieces of zombies littering the ground and in amongst them was what was left of my nephew and there wasn't much.

I stumbled away from the epicenter of shattered limbs wondering if I was going to vomit. Once I got my stomach under control I wondered why the remaining zombies just... left... when we were pretty much prime targets. My feet got tangled up with some other set of limbs and I near tripped. I was worried it was a zombie but it's Just Brandon, but he was damn near close to being one by that point.

He had managed to get himself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall we had originally been pinned to. He was holding my sister's quaking body in his arms, resting her across his lap, her head tucked into his shoulder. He opened his weary eyes and turned them to me, I could see the light of disappointment in his eyes and the guilt assaults me.

"Why did you leave?" he asked me in a weary voice. "Why couldn't you just stay where I left you?"

It occurred to me to argue, but I knew Brandon knew me well enough to know that it was my idea to leave the shop he left us in. That I convinced my sister to go looking for him when she had wanted to follow her very wise husband's very stern and very clear orders.

I refused to remind him that she wouldn't have listened to me normally, that the only reason she went along with it was because he had been acting sketchy and untrustworthy and nothing like the guy she had married and I was used to.

I was silent too long, Brandon had started shaking a bit, convulsing. I finally forced myself to take a long good look at him, he was covered in bite marks, and so was my sister. I realized then and there what was happening. They were turning into zombies. Lena was full on convulsing, gripping the fabric of Brandon's shirt. She kept calling for the son who wasn't alive anymore in a hoarse voice that was barely a whisper, it was quickly turning into a low moan, like the words zombies repeated.

Brandon took a hold of something with his shaking hands, a handgun. He whispered something in my sister's ear, kissed her hair tenderly that put a smile on the face where I could see black sludge dripping from out from behind her teeth. Dear god she was farther along than I thought.

And then he put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

I tried to keep it in but I cried out, I had to look away from the mess that used to be my sister. I knew it was for the best but I couldn't stop the tears that were streaming down my face or the need to vomit at the sight of her brain spattering the wall beside Brandon's shoulder. But, what was worse, was I knew what he was going to say next, what he was going to ask me to do.

But instead of offering me the gun Brandon's hand went into his pocket and he pulled out a card. It was a simple white business card like the one that he had handed over to Max not even two days ago. He put a hand to one of his cuts, which too were now leaking a black sludge. He took his thumb and wiped the blood onto the back in one thick glob the length of the card. Once he was done he handed it to me.

"You'll need this," he said. "You have to give it to Evelyn otherwise she won't help you. You're going to have to go to the University and meet her before she leaves. You don't have much time that flare was hers, and she's either in trouble or signalling her position."

My mind was whirling I couldn't for the life of me understand what was happening right now. How could he expect me to go alone? The confusion must have been clear on my face, or maybe it was the fear.

"You don't have a choice Con," he whispered. "If she's in trouble she's going to leave faster than you think. You have to get to her before she leave. If you don't get to her, steal a car if you have to and drive to Toronto. You remember how, don't you?"

"Yes, but... but..." I stammered, tears still streaming holding the card in my hand. It really was just a simple business card. In black block writing it read: "BIOcom INC." and underneath in neat typing it read: "Lead Scientist – bimolecular specialization – Dr. Evelyn Duncan" There was no number no email, just that.

"Conner, you're a smart kid. Just ask around for Evelyn, everyone in Toronto knows of Evelyn. Look, I've taught you all I can, it's time to go," he told me softly.

"What about you?" I wondered.

"I'm going to die, kid," he said matter-o-factly. So bluntly that it startled the tears and the hyperventilating out of me. It had been so long since I had been without him that I couldn't even fathom how I could be alone now. In fact, I had never been alone before this, I was fairly certain I was legit about to walk to my death just around this corner.

"I didn't mean for this..." I sobbed and Brandon surprised me by starting to smile.

"I know kid, so get going," he told me. "I'm going to do this myself, so you don't have any more guilt weighing you down."

I took a step away from him, before changing my mind. I turned right back around and threw myself down and hugged him tightly. "I never should have doubted you," I whispered to him as his hand snaked softly around my waist. Brandon had never been afraid to show emotion, to hug those who needed it. I had always loved that about him.

"We love you Con," he said to me before shoving me away. "Now go, you're starting to look good enough to eat."

At that I rushed to the corner.

I peeked out to make sure that the way was clear before I'd make my way down the streets. I paused once to look back at what was left of my family. Brandon was pulling what was left of Lena back into his arms and hugging her tightly. Even from where I was standing I could tell he was crying, that his convulsions were getting worse that if he didn't do it now he'd be a zombie and he'd probably eat his wife's dead body.

I forced myself to look away and out onto the desolate sidewalk. I hadn't taken two steps before I heard the gunshot and after that I ran, I ran until I was too out of breath to do anything but cry.