"I need to call into KSHB, let them know I am alright." said Ned, over the top of his mug of coffee. Up close and personal Ned was not as impressive as he seemed on television, he was sunken into himself and older than Dora expected. He wore a long sleeved khaki shirt and his tan complexion was a bit more pale than she thought it should be. Ned looked…well Dora thought he looked sick.
"You get any sleep the last few days?" she asked him.
In response the cameraman, Jeremy, laughed out loud. "Him? Any of us? No. Not a wink. We have taken a few cat naps from time to time, when we found a safe place and needed to recharge the batteries for the camera. It has been hell."
"The walking dead are part of God's plan for the end of days." Mary said.
Ned just raised his eyebrows a little, but all of them let the comment pass. One of the guardsmen, John, got on his radio and called in to someone, a simple time check, stating their current position and followed by some code. "Checking in?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am, mandatory, the only way they let us go with him. We check in every fifteen minutes, when we don't check in, they send someone looking for us."
"The helicopter?"
"If it is available, usually the sergeant just gets on the radio and yells at us until we answer." said John.
"So…did you call in the helicopter?"
"It was in the area, they zipped over here to help us out. They are getting ready for the big push against the ones coming down interstate seventy."
The other guardsman, Kerim, shushed John, "Not supposed to talk about that John."
"Yes corporal."
"So you outrank him?" Dora asked shifting her attention to Kerim.
"Yes. Look it is not much of a big deal, but we knew if Iowa was coming in with their troops we would go on the offense as soon as they arrived. We are not telling civilians, because the situation is still not good. We want to evacuate the area and if people think we are going to protect them, they will not leave, see ma'am?"
"I suppose. I wasn't planning on leaving." Dora said. The rest of the group got real quiet.
"Uh, Dora, what do you mean?" asked Paige.
"I thought I would stay here."
"Don't be stupid, how long could you last?" asked Mary.
"As long as I have to. Fuck leaving. Roger left. I am staying."
Ned raised his coffee cup to her in a toast. "Whoever wants to come can follow us out in whatever cars you have. I won't tell Dora to go. Everyone deserves to fight for what they believe in."
"We are getting to safety." said Mary clutching Peter close to her. "And taking Marge, she needs medical attention. I do not think it will do any good, but we should try."
"That is up to Marge." said Dora, keeping her voice even, "She knows she isn't going to make it, so she can decide where she wants to die."
Mike had been quiet during the exchange, suddenly he spoke up, "I am staying too." looking quickly at Dora he added, "If it is okay with you?" Dora nodded at him with a smile.
Kerim's radio started to chatter, a string of codes and numbers rattling off in the kitchen. He ducked out the back door to the patio to respond.
"So Mary, you Peter and, I assume Alex will go? What about you, Paige?" asked Dora.
"I am thinking about it." turning towards John, she asked, "Are there any safe places? Anyplace for us left to run to?"
He hesitated and shook his head slowly. "I don't know. Iowa is, well not zombie free, but they have a much lighter problem then we do. Their guard is almost complete. Plus they have access to every base around their state and all the equipment there. If I had a choice, that is where I would go."
Kerim poked his head in from the patio, "John, Ned and crew, could you step out for a moment for a little pow-wow? Sorry, its private." he said holding up his hand to stop the others from coming out. The group stepped out and then moved well away from the door, all the way to the other side of the pool, where they stopped and started having a quiet conversation that grew more animated as the group inside watched.
Dora stood looking them over for a while before making a "Hmmm" sound.
"What?" asked Paige.
"Probably nothing."
"Nothing, nothing or are you going to share?"
"Is it hot to you guys?" Dora said addressing the group.
"Hell yes!" said Mike, summing it up for all of them.
"They all have long sleeves on. And pants. No shorts, no flip flops. And they are sweating too."
Dora's group looked at the group outside. "Ned seems a little, gray to me too. Like," Dora hitched her thumb over her shoulder to where Marge lay in a restless sleep, "her."
Mary started a low prayer.
Paige screwed up her eyes, squinting out at the soldiers, "I think you are right, Dora. What do you think that mean?"
"They're fucked already? Who's going to ask them?"
"You." Paige responded, Dora's eyebrow went up questioningly. Paige sighed and said, "I dare you."
Outside the group seemed to come to a consensus, Ned, Jeremy and the driver, Cameron, came marching back to the house. John and Kerim stayed outside, with Kerim speaking into his radio. Dora opened the door, Ned was the last to come in and when he did Dora ran her arms up the length of his and embraced him in an awkward hug. Ned suffered through it, patting her back with his hands and looking uncomfortable. As Dora pulled away she jerked his right sleeve up, unbuttoning the shirt forcefully at the cuff. A white bandage was uncovered, Dora stepped back and asked, "So when did you get bit?"
"I knew you were up to something. That didn't take long."
"You are looking a little gray around the gills, Ned. Did you have an affair with Diane?" Dora asked referencing to the other newscaster on the air.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"She knows then too, right? Her face, it's like she is in mourning. The other guy, Jim, seemed on his game, she is not. I thought maybe she was just extra tired."
"So you put two and two together and did the fake hug thing to check for bandages?"
"Devious, huh? I had to know."
"Does it make any difference?"
"Well, to me, just knowing. So how long do you have until you, well, die?" asked Dora.
"It varies. I've seen badly bitten people, like Marge, die in six hours or so. I know of a couple of single bit people, like me, who are still wandering around okay."
"But no one has lived through it?"
"The doctors don't know. But yeah, so far as they can tell, no one lives through it. It is some kind of virus, they think, like a super flu with a one hundred percent mortality rate."
"What are you doing out here then?" asked Paige.
"It was my idea, we got overwhelmed, almost, the first day of shooting on the outskirts. All of us came away with bites, those two", Ned pointed at the guardsmen outside, "were at our aid station. I bounced the idea of continuing to report off the station as a public service. They decided to come along, instead of going back to die with their families. It has worked out okay. I think we are doing some good."
Ned's right front pocket started shaking, he pawed at it and pulled out a phone, "It's the station, I am going to take this, so hold any other questions for a moment, or ask Jeremy or Cameron." Ned stepped back through the patio doors.
"So you are crazy too?" Dora asked them after Ned ducked out.
Cameron spoke, "No worse than you Dora. You're out of your mind to stay here."
Dora shrugged, "Better to die here than to run and then die tired somewhere else."
The two crew and Alex laughed, the others did not. "I couldn't do that in front of my wife and kids, I just couldn't. I sent her a text, told her I loved her, but I wasn't going to make it. Then I tossed my phone out the window as we drove."
"Oh, how mellow fucking dramatic!" Dora said, "Still I see your point. So you think Marge has only a few hours left?"
Cameron looked over at her, "If that, look at all the bandages on her, she lost blood too, so she is weaker, I give her two hours."
"We could start a pool." Dora said seriously, "But what to bet? Money is worthless now."
"Dora!" Paige said, her eyebrows squinted down in anger. Mary said nothing, but made the sign of the cross in front of herself.
"What? I mean I would let Marge in on it, she'd be a part of the whole thing."
"Part of what?" came Marge's voice from across the room. "Are you talking bad about me again?"
"Yes she is, your supposed friend wants…wants to start a pool for when you pass on!" said Mary, her voice quiet with anger.
Marge propped herself up on her good elbow, shrugged, looked at her watch and said, "Anyone have eleven yet?"
Dora laughed, throwing her head back like a cartoon mule, "No! No dear, no one has eleven yet, you want that time?"
"Yeah, put me down for eleven, what's the bet?"
"We haven't figured that out yet." said Dora, going over to her friend.
Thinking for another moment, Marge's face suddenly lit up, "I know what I want, if I win you just push me out the door and don't kill me. That work?"
"Um, I don't know Marge, you might kill someone else…" Dora began.
Marge looked at her, "If I am lucky it will be you or Roger. C'mon, what is the point of a bet if it doesn't mean risk?"
"Oh fine! I suppose I can agree to that. But what do I win?"
"You get to kill Roger the next time you see him?"
"Nah too easy, and I probably will anyway. I get to pretend I am divorced?"
"No, again, too easy and if you are not already then you are stupid. The old Dora I know was a bitch, a naïve bitch, but not a stupid bitch. Let's think about it for a bit and get the others to bet too. Fifteen minute increments to the pool? Whoever is closest wins?"
"Deal." said Dora, holding out and then shaking Marge's hand with her own.
Cameron turned to Jeremy, "I want ten forty five."
"Eleven fifteen then." Jeremy answered.
"What in God's name is wrong with you people?" asked Mary. Peter cringed away from his mother and Alex looked at her with amazement on his face. "You are betting on when this woman dies! That is wrong! That is…evil!"
"Now, now Mary, doesn't the bible say something about 'judging not, lest ye are judged yourself'? Don't worry about us, or do worry and just pray for us."
"Your mocking will be paid for when you stand before Saint Peter trying to get into heaven." Mary said.
"Agreed. Any other takers on times? I am taking ten, you always did overestimate your abilities Marge, and if you win you will at least have an hour to gloat about how wrong I was."
"Why Dora, I believe that is as nice as you have been to me in a long time. I vow to live until noon now, so I can make you suffer the whole time."
"And you thought I hadn't forgiven you."
"I'll take noon then." said Alex.
"Alex! You too!" Mary said, her voice raised a couple octaves.
"You can use me as a bad example for my son." he replied.
"Fine, I will take eleven thirty." said Mike, bringing a snort from Paige.
"Paige, dear…what have I told you about the snorting. It is very un-lady like, and frankly just nasty, even in men." said Dora.
"That is a woman?" asked Marge, then laughed, "I thought he, uh, she was a trucker or something."
"Fine, fuck you both, I will take ten thirty. Winner gets to decide what they get." said Paige.
"I am taking the thirty aught six if I win." muttered Mike.
"Only out of my cold, dead hands Mikey dear, or we might work out a payment plan if you must have it." Leaning closer to Marge, Dora whispered loudly, "He is infatuated with me, can hardly keep his hands off me when we are alone."
Mike blushed and shook his head from side to side as Mary looked back and forth between the two of them.
"Do not speak like this in front of my son!" Mary said.
"What? For Heaven's sake why not? You're a doctor, you think he hasn't figured out what his twig and berries are for yet?" asked Dora.
"Twig….Stop! I mean it! This is not appropriate conversation for a twelve year old."
"I'm thirteen." Peter said softly.
"See? Thirteen, besides Mary, him and Paige already have something going. What happened to 'hos before Bros' and all that?"
Mary turned and picked up the shotgun, she twirled around and pointed the barrel at Dora. "I said 'stop'. You will respect my wishes."
Alex and Peter were on either side of Dora. Alex made a slight movement and Mary stepped closer to Peter and the barrel of the gun wavered towards her him. "Stop. I mean it, we will have some rules and we are going to set those up now, not later."
"Oh Dora, you stepped in it this time." said Marge.
"Don't worry. She is a doctor shooting me would be against her oath. Plus she is religious, that whole get into heaven speech and all means something to her. Right, Mary?" Dora said standing up to face the woman.
"Mocking! Again mocking!" Mary said pointing the gun downward but in Dora's general direction. Behind her Jeremy slipped a pistol out of his waist band, the others, outside seemed to realize something was up, all of them stopped speaking and looking into the house as Mary continued yelling. "This is the end of days! God is already judging us! You should not mock me or him!" The shotgun blast in the confines of the house was deafening.