#42

The party lasted until the wee hours and we all had been a little bit easy on the alcohol and hard on our livers. One by one and two by two in some instances we stumbled back to the rooms like New Years Eve revelers after a long night at Dick Clark's party. I was just feeling buzzed but not much else due to the fact that Fish was playing shot for shot with Deb and that left me as the only one aside from Leeya with knowledge of the group that attacked us the day before. Me and Leeya staggered back to the room mainly because I was essentially carrying her. She had shown me what a girl that likes to party is like , and drank more than she could possibly process. I figured I would tuck her in and head to the window of our room and keep an eye out on the road for a while. Getting her in the room was it's own battle as she wanted to take her bikini off because it was wet and would not listen to reason, like were in the hall. I finally got her naked butt in the room and locked the door behind us. And while she staggered to the bed and dropped I checked the bathroom and under the bed as a habit. You just never know anymore.

I leaned over Leeya to get her under the covers, it was a bit cool in the room and she was naked and wet. She had other ideas and pulled me in as soon as I was close to her and started to make out with me. I tried to get her to listen but it was hard to argue. We got into a heated bout of slap and tickle and when we finally gave way to the finale we were spent. Leeya curled up onto me under the covers and fell asleep almost as fast as she had attacked me. Ah yes drinking, helping guys hook up for years I thought, thinking the other rooms were busy as well, heck maybe even Fred's. Once Leeya was safely asleep and finally rolled off of me and into her own nook I hopped out of the bed and tucked her in. Then I got some clothes on and headed to the window. I still had no idea who the people were from the trip to Providence but the weird thing was being more concerned about them and not the "things". Crazy people are more to fear as they have thought and move well and fast. The "things" were slow and didn't seem to have any cognitive functions.

The road was dead and so was the front lot. Rusty and Brent had done a good job as they had told me during the party of clearing all the cars out of the front and sticking them out back. From the roadway the place looked deserted and that was fine by me, who wants to go to a vacant Hotel? The things seem to want us so no sign of life means they would move on and the group of people wouldn't have much of a reason to bother with this place. There is about ten Hotels in a five mile range and some are more high end than this one. It was looking for the time being we had a nice place to hold up with plenty of room and in the A.M. I would be getting ready to leave for my brothers. Hopefully the rest of the guys will continue to barricade the Hotel from the backside. The rear of the building is the only area the windows actually reach the ground on the first floor. The Hotel was built on a bit of a slope and the front looked grand. The entrance was around back and that made it walk in level without having to use a huge staircase.

The back, the back, wait a minute, if I was heading to the Hotel I would come in the back. They better barricade it better, or one of these nights while they all sleep something will get in. I can watch it tonight but tomorrow they are on their own. The road is the only way in and out and behind us is swamp land you wouldn't get far in without getting stuck. Tomorrow I will talk about barricades and then I'm off, maybe Leeya comes maybe she stays, I don't know but I know she is hurting and if we stop too long we could become EMO food for the "things".

I leaned back into the seat and looked over at Leeya sleeping. She looked so peaceful , so sound. Like cotton candy sitting at a carnival stand, happiness and a smile. I feared what the future held for me, her , my brother and his family. and for everyone else in this hotel. We made it this far but why? What was the reason to save our partying asses? Why did this all even happen? my head began to hurt for thinking these things. What did this all come from? Why did it happen so damn fast that most people never tried running? Why couldn't the military hold it back or stop it? God dammit why , why, why?

Sitting there for the first time since the onset feeling sorry for my damn self just thinking of everything I had gone through and why someone like me is here and so many good people were gone I was going mad thinking of it all. Was there a cure? And the big question of the day was did Unice get bitten? Why was her arm bandaged so heavily? I got up and headed to Fred and Unice's room to get at least one answer that would let me sleep. Heading down the hallway I could not hear a sound, everyone was black out drunk I suppose. I got to the front and Fred was sitting at the table in the lounge near his rooms door and my mind had me thinking the worse.

"Couldn't sleep eh"? Fred said in a calm voice sipping his drink. "Nope , just watching the road and got restless" I said. "Been a good night here you kids all had fun and we had fun too, we can't thank you all enough for the food and friendship and help with the place" Fred said thankfully. "We owe you the thanks, you could have told us to leave at any time but your hospitality makes us lucky were here" I responded. Fred looked at me and smiled " You are welcome as long as you like, eternity with no one around is a hell in itself". I then had to ask Fred the big question and leaned in and said " Now look I am not looking to start anything but I was just having to know is your wife bitten , ....... because if she is and hear me out , she looks fine maybe we can figure out a way to fix all this" . Fred smiled and said "Now if you think I would ever give my wife of 43 years up to be killed because you think she is a danger you have to be crazier than whats out there". I shook my head no and said " No, No, No I don't want to kill anyone , I just want to see if there is a way to stop it, if she is bitten and fine there has to be a reason and if so that could be an answer." Fred smiled and said " My wife has less than a few months to live and I want her to live it out in peace, she has cancer and when she was being treated she was attacked at the hospital, I believe the chemo she was getting is why she never became one of them, it must have killed the infection along with cancer cells". I sat back in awe, was it that simple? Could Chemo be the way to stop this? Wait where the hell can you get chemotherapy now? I looked at Fred and said "Thank you I know that wasn't easy to trust me with and I will not tell a sole, she has to be fine it must be a month ago shes no threat, but now at least I know there's a way, a way to save us all. Maybe we can find a place that has chemo and use it in case of being bitten. Maybe just maybe that's the secret." Then I added I truly am sorry she has such little time, but in the morning I am heading to check on my brother, if you want I will stop at a hospital and try to get some chemo for your wife". Fred shook his head no and said " she and I have made peace with this world and I have no way of knowing how much or what strength to give her, Cancer has to be exact but maybe a bite doesn't that is for you to figure out." I thanked Fred for telling me and once again assured him his secret was safe with me and if anyone asked she burned it on the oven. Fred nodded and then said to get some sleep he would watch the road a while, I thanked him and went to join Leeya in bed.

The next morning was rough, everyone was hungover, hell I even felt it a bit. Water was the drink of choice and no one was talking much. I could hear Bob bitching to Brent softly about something and Leeya was curled up against me at the table in a ling shirt and underwear, wrapped in a blanket. I could just overhear Bob while acting like I was asleep sitting up and it was "she should be with me why doesn't she give me a shot ever" . It was dawning on me Bob had the hots for Leeya and hated my situation, Oh well I thought, Bob didn't pose a threat to me he was more of an Ivy league future CEO type, not an "I'll kick your butt "type. I then stood up and announced I was heading to check on my brother and Leeya quickly said she was coming with me, and then Bob said he would come also. Interesting I thought and tried to tell Bob he didn't have to but he insisted.

We headed back to the room and Leeya got ready and so did I. She made me promise we would be OK and safe, the kind of thing a child asks. I said I promise , knowing it was an empty one I had no idea what was ahead. We got dressed in the warmest stuff we could find and went out back to grab a vehicle. I took one shotgun a bunch of ammo and Leeya took my hand gun and ammo. Bob was about to grab one and Fred threw him his shotgun, saying"take mine I cant use it ". Bob nodded and we walked out. There was a small minivan in the back and Rusty said it had almost a full tank. I decided to take it not knowing how the roads were and not wanting to take an RV or bus down crowded narrow roads. we said our goodbyes and loaded up. Next stop was my brothers and hopefully some people coming back with us.