Lucy’s only response causing another bout of repressed laughter.
She crossed her arms and said “I think you are making up words again Mr. Tucker” and this time the laughs were not repressed at all.
Four days; that’s all it was, four days since the swarm and already we could laugh. I look back on it now and realize what a remarkable thing that was. All that loss, all that pain and still we found a moment to laugh amongst ourselves. Of course that was before we knew just how many tears we had yet to shed. As we drove through town, looking for someplace to get gasoline the level of destruction was brought home to the rest of us. Entire city blocks were gone, burnt to the ground. There were hundreds of bodies many that had been reduced to just a few bits and a dark puddle. We rode in silence after that, Lucy sniffling quietly. I was too but I was trying to be as quiet as I could be.
We drove South on Main until we neared the on-ramp to highway 8. There appeared to be a multicar pile up and the sides of the road were steep, too steep to drive around and both the East and West ramps were on the other side of the wreck.
“Maybe you and Lee, um, Mr. Caulfield could move a one of them, you know put it in neutral and push it?” Mom said.
Old Man Tucker looked deep in thought and didn’t answer right away Mom started to get out of the car when Old Man Tucker reached over and pulled her back into the car.
“What on Earth?” she snapped.
“Wait a moment Mrs. Williams. Something isn’t right here, just wait. Okay?”
Mom looked at him and after a moment agreed. Old Man Tucker turned to me and said
“Is your rifle ready?” he asked.
I just nodded I could feel the tension rolling off of him. There was something wild in his eyes.
“Good boy.”
He then turned to my little sister
“Miss Lucy will you be the head look out? I want you to look all around and let your Mommy and Johnny know if you see anything or anyone?”
Lucy said that she would and Old Man Tucker smiled and patted her on her shoulder. He slowly got out of the car; he waved to Mrs. Driscol and Mr. Caulfield to wait where they were.
He pulled the bolt back just to make sure there was a live round in the chamber then slowly walked down the street towards the wrecked cars. He didn’t look like he was trying to hide; I guess he figured that if there was someone there they already knew he was there too. He looked under the cars and then holding the rifle like he was getting ready to shoot it he stepped to look between the cars. He looked back at us and shrugged like he wasn’t sure about this yet. He looked inside first one car then the other, he put the rifle on one hip and opened the door, he reached in to put the car in neutral I guess, and that is when Lucy called out to us
“Mom, Johnny, there are crazies over there.”
She pointed to the thick forest that surrounded us on either side. “Oh shit.” Mom whispered. I looked back to see Billy and the others just watching us.
“I pointed to the trees and then held up my rifle.”
They looked in the direction I pointed and I could see the panic in their response. They all started getting their weapons ready. I looked back at Old Man Tucker who was trying to move the car, pushing it backwards towards the guard rail. I could see the crazies moving through the trees towards us and towards Old Man Tucker.
“What do we do Mom?”
My hands were sweating even though the weather was cool. Mom’s hands were fidgeting on the steering wheel when she seemed to get an idea. She pressed on the car horn and held it down; the crazies seemed startled as if this were something they hadn’t planned on. Old Man Tucker looked up at us and then all around, I guess he saw them because he raised his rifle and with a tremendous explosion dropped one of the crazies. He started yelling and moving his arm in a circle,
“Mom he wants us to go!”
She pressed on the accelerator and the SUV jumped forward. Old Man
She crossed her arms and said “I think you are making up words again Mr. Tucker” and this time the laughs were not repressed at all.
Four days; that’s all it was, four days since the swarm and already we could laugh. I look back on it now and realize what a remarkable thing that was. All that loss, all that pain and still we found a moment to laugh amongst ourselves. Of course that was before we knew just how many tears we had yet to shed. As we drove through town, looking for someplace to get gasoline the level of destruction was brought home to the rest of us. Entire city blocks were gone, burnt to the ground. There were hundreds of bodies many that had been reduced to just a few bits and a dark puddle. We rode in silence after that, Lucy sniffling quietly. I was too but I was trying to be as quiet as I could be.
We drove South on Main until we neared the on-ramp to highway 8. There appeared to be a multicar pile up and the sides of the road were steep, too steep to drive around and both the East and West ramps were on the other side of the wreck.
“Maybe you and Lee, um, Mr. Caulfield could move a one of them, you know put it in neutral and push it?” Mom said.
Old Man Tucker looked deep in thought and didn’t answer right away Mom started to get out of the car when Old Man Tucker reached over and pulled her back into the car.
“What on Earth?” she snapped.
“Wait a moment Mrs. Williams. Something isn’t right here, just wait. Okay?”
Mom looked at him and after a moment agreed. Old Man Tucker turned to me and said
“Is your rifle ready?” he asked.
I just nodded I could feel the tension rolling off of him. There was something wild in his eyes.
“Good boy.”
He then turned to my little sister
“Miss Lucy will you be the head look out? I want you to look all around and let your Mommy and Johnny know if you see anything or anyone?”
Lucy said that she would and Old Man Tucker smiled and patted her on her shoulder. He slowly got out of the car; he waved to Mrs. Driscol and Mr. Caulfield to wait where they were.
He pulled the bolt back just to make sure there was a live round in the chamber then slowly walked down the street towards the wrecked cars. He didn’t look like he was trying to hide; I guess he figured that if there was someone there they already knew he was there too. He looked under the cars and then holding the rifle like he was getting ready to shoot it he stepped to look between the cars. He looked back at us and shrugged like he wasn’t sure about this yet. He looked inside first one car then the other, he put the rifle on one hip and opened the door, he reached in to put the car in neutral I guess, and that is when Lucy called out to us
“Mom, Johnny, there are crazies over there.”
She pointed to the thick forest that surrounded us on either side. “Oh shit.” Mom whispered. I looked back to see Billy and the others just watching us.
“I pointed to the trees and then held up my rifle.”
They looked in the direction I pointed and I could see the panic in their response. They all started getting their weapons ready. I looked back at Old Man Tucker who was trying to move the car, pushing it backwards towards the guard rail. I could see the crazies moving through the trees towards us and towards Old Man Tucker.
“What do we do Mom?”
My hands were sweating even though the weather was cool. Mom’s hands were fidgeting on the steering wheel when she seemed to get an idea. She pressed on the car horn and held it down; the crazies seemed startled as if this were something they hadn’t planned on. Old Man Tucker looked up at us and then all around, I guess he saw them because he raised his rifle and with a tremendous explosion dropped one of the crazies. He started yelling and moving his arm in a circle,
“Mom he wants us to go!”
She pressed on the accelerator and the SUV jumped forward. Old Man
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