Harris Family : Moving on and Panic.

Posted on Wed Jul 24th, 2024 @ 3:58am by Carmen Harris & Myles Harris & Jack Harris

2,018 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Winter is Coming
Location: Somewhere outside Bangor, Maine
Timeline: September 7th - early morning

The next morning dawned and Carmen was the first up, she slipped from the Tent, let Daisy out to do her business and went to the treeline to do her own. Then she came back and made their breakfast which ended up being a bread roll with meat and cheese. She woke the boys after doing this and began packing while they got up.

Miles woke up easily, as he was always an early riser. He smiled at his big sister, then left the tent to relieve himself. He came back a few minutes later hugged Carmen, then took the food she had made for him and sat down to eat, Daisy moving over and curling up next to him.

Jack, the opposite of his baby brother, took a bit longer to wake up, then he shot up awake, his eyes wide and alert. When he saw that everything was okay, he calmed down and, after a couple beats, stood and left the tent. Nature was calling, and he didn't want his siblings to see him relieve himself.

A few minutes later, the eldest Harris child returned and started to get dressed. Once that was done, he started to pack things up into the station wagon as well. He would eat while he drove. "You guys about ready?"

Carmen finished cleaning up their campsite so there was no trace left. She nodded as she opened the car door to let Daisy into the backseat and Myles followed the dog into the car. Carmen looked around. "Jack, we need a destination in mind." She said as she finished putting things into the car with Jack.

Jack nodded thoughtfully, then seemed to come to a realization. "We should try to get to Grandma and Gandpa's house in Wisconsin. Their house is back in the woods, remember? They might still be okay."

Myles perked up. "Are we going to go see Gamma and Pop Pop?!"

Carmen nodded slowly. "Okay but it may take longer than it normally would" She warned. "But lets get going," She closed the backdoor and climbed into the passenger seat. She pulled the heavy book from the door pocket and placed it on her lap and began flipping through the maps so they could plot their trip while Jack drove.

Jack nodded as he finished securing the tarp on the roof, which was protecting their luggage. He then did a quick walkaround inspection of their car, before climbing in behind the wheel. Once he started up the engine, he locked the doors. He then pulled out of their little campsite and got back up onto the highway. Looking down at the fuel gauge, he spoke aloud. "We've got about another hundred miles of driving, before we need to start looking for fuel." He looked over at his sister. "How are we looking on food and water?"

Carmen opened up the notebook she had written in all the things they had packed. "We are ok for the next few days. The ice will start to melt of course but I am going to add the melted ice to our water bottles and I made us a lot of sandwiches which will get us through the next two days. Then, we will be on to the snack foods." She said as calmly as possible. "I was thinking last night, if we can find small corner stores or even, bigger ones, where we can sneak in and get food..."

Jack nodded as he listened. "Every bit that we can scrounge or salvage, gets us that much closer to Grandma's and Grandpa's." He looked in his mirrors, then continued. "I'll drive for another fifty miles or so, then we will pull over for bathroom breaks and drink some water. Remember what Grandpa taught us, you can go almost a week without food, but only few days without water. Staying moving and hydrated will be our two main goals."

Carmen nodded. 'You need to teach me how to drive to." She said suddenly to her brother. She kept flipping through the refidex to plot their course. "Do you want to go via Canada or south via Boston?"

Jack looked over at his sister and was about to say that she was too young. However, he grinned and replied instead, "All right, but once we get to Grandma's and Grandpa's, and we are safe, okay?"

Carmen considered it but nodded. "Okay so which way? Do you think crossing the boarder is an idea or too much trouble?"

He considered the options, then replied. "I think it would be better to stick to our side of the border. We don't know how the Canadians have reacted to everything. The borders could be closed."

Carmen flipped another page. "Okay so down to Boston and across." She placed the map open where he could see it. "If we can drive through the night..."

Jack glanced down at the map, then looked back up, just as a large, ten-point, whitetail deer leapt out onto the road a few meters ahead of them. He swore and quickly jammed on the breaks, causing the heavily-laden station wagon to screech to a halt.

Startled by the noise, the deer bolted in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing into the woods.

Carmen grabbed at the dash and took a breath before spotting something else moving in the woods. "Drive Jack" She said as she checked on Myles and Daisy in the back. "Lock the doors and close the back vents Myles."

Jack sat back in the driver's seat, having hit his face on the steering wheel, busting his nose. It took him a few beats to collect himself, then he recognized the danger. A horde of nearly fifty undead people were shuffling towards them. Each one seemed to be in a different state of decomposition and injury. "Shit.." he muttered as he pressed the gas pedal, causing the large vehicle to lurch forward.

In the back seat, Myles and Daisy had been thrown forward, as neither had been wearing a seatbelt. Daisy yelped in pain and Myles cried out. "Ow!" He held his right wrist as he tried to do what his sister had instructed.

Carmen undid her seat belt and climbed into the backseat with him and Dasiy. She pulled the small windows in the third row closed and locked the doors as Jack began to drive. She then sat beside Myles and looked at his wrist and winced. They had a small first aide kit under the passanger seat so she pulled it out as Daisy looked out the window growling. "As fast as you can Jack" she said as she looked at the horde.

Still trying to clear his vision, Jack nodded as he continued driving as straight as possible. "Is Myles okay, Car?" He coughed a little as some blood from his broken nose dripped down the back of his throat.

"I am not 100% but I think sprained wrist." She hoped, Carmen had first aide training and began to strap Myles’s wrist. "Seatbelts in all seats." She added. "Just get us out of here, head south to Boston, freeway coming up right?"

Jack started to nod, then stopped, when it hurt his head. "When you're done back there, I'm gonna need you help up here!" As he drove, they hit and ran over nearly a half dozen walkers. Soon, they were in the clear and Jack started to try to find a place they could hide in, while everything was sorted out.

"Thank you, Carman," Myles said softly, as he slowly quieted his tears. When his wrist was wrapped, he hugged his big sister. "Love you!"

Carmen hugged him back and then pushed him into the seat so she could put his seatbelt on. "Stay belted up" she said with a smile. She patted Daisy and slipped back into the front seat. "What do you need me to do?" she asked.

Jack's eyes were already starting to swell from his broken nose. "Be my eyes..." he replied in pain. "Once we are in a quiet location, I'm going to have to reset my nose. You'll have to drive afterwards."

Carmen had to shake her head. "And to think that thought would never have crossed your mind until i was 21, before this day." She quipped. "Keep your foot on the gas and" she placed her hand on the wheel. "I will steer for now."

Despite the pain in his face, Jack grinned slightly as he replied. "Don't be silly, Car, I probably would've taught you on the sly in a year or two anyway, without Mom and Dad knowing."

She merely nodded. "Nothing in front of us. Up the speed a little Jack. Myles, hug Daisy close okay?" She called back to their little brother.

Jack did as his younger sister suggested. In the back seat, Myle reached out and hugged their Golden Retriever, hold her leash tightly in his uninjured hand.

Several miles later she gave Jack instruction to ease off the gas and then she guided the car to a small parking lot outside a strip mall.

Once they were stopped, Jack reached up carefully grabbed his nose with both hands. "Grab the instant ice pack from the first aid kit," he said to Carmen. He then took a few steadying breaths, then reset his nose, with an audible crunch. He grunted loudly as new pain blossomed over his face. He then laid his head back against the headrest, while he waited for the icepack.

Carmen grabbed the ice pack and handed it to him a short moment later. "Here"

Taking the icepack, Jack quickly activated it. 9nce it was cold, he placed it carefully on the bridge of his nose, then let out a soft sigh of relief

"Move from the seat Jack." Carmen said trying to sound confident. "We cannot stay here." The horde had concerned her a lot about their sleeping situation.

Reaching down, Jack opened the driver's door and carefully got out. While holding the icepack on his face with his left hand, he walked around the front of the station wagon, his right hand running across its surface. By the time Carmen had shifted over and shut the driver's door, he reached the open passanger door and climbed back in, closing and locking it. "Go ahead and press the button on the side of your seat, to move it forward till you can comfortably steer and reach the pedals."

Carmen did so and glanced back at Myles who was snuggled in with Daisy. Checking on him was common place. She was glad the car was a automatic. She slid it into Drive and pressed the accelerator gently.

The large vehicle started to roll forward, as soon as the brakes were released. Then, when the accelerator was pressed I'm enough, the powerful engine surged with power.

"Easy, Car," Jack said as he held on as best he could. "Take your foot all the way off the brake pedal. Don't use your left foot at all. Only use your right foot for both the gas and the brake. It'll be smoother, and you won't wear out your brake pads by riding your brakes while you drive."

From the back seat, Myles cheered on his big sister. "You can do it, Carmen!"

Carmen slowly did as she was told but she kept her gaze on the road. “You have the map now Jack” she said as she kept herself upright so she could see over the steering wheel. She pulled out of the parking area and increased the speed a little, she didn’t want to get caught by another hoard and with both Jack and Myles injured they needed to find a medical facility… if they could.

"Just stay on the highway for the next couple hours," Jack replied as he lowered the back of his seat some. While the front of his shirt, and his jaw, was still covered in blood, it seemed that, for now, the bleeding had stopped.

Carmen nodded. "Okay" She said softly and focused on her driving.

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