THE APOCALYPTIC RISE OF ADAM

Chp 6 - Gallantry Gone Wrong

Adam did not tell the girl Sybil about his intention to ride in her father’s jet. He only ensured that the teenage boys did something with their overflowing testosterone before allowing them into the Jeep.

“I don’t want your money,” he said reluctantly after Sybil had begged him with desperation in her voice. “But there will be no free rides here. First, you guys need to load those gallons into the Jeep bed. Second, I have a favor to ask of you. I will tell you about it later. Those are my conditions for taking you to the airstrip. Agreed?” He asked with a bit of sternness in his tone.

He wished Ana could see him now. She had once told him that he was nothing but a wimp and a silly ass fool who couldn’t stand up for himself against his abusive boss. 

In fact, he wished his boss and his wife could see him at the moment. Yes, he might currently be standing up to a bunch of teenagers, but it was a start, right? And from their clothes, he knew they were all rich people. 

The symbol of those who had looked down on him all of his life Yes, if he was standing up to one of them, he was standing up to all of them. That thought appeased his battered personality. The world might be ending, but he was finally doing it. 

Speaking up before the rich without fear of consequence! He could have hollered in excitement at that moment if not for the fact that it would attract zombies to them. It's better not to deliberately cause trouble.

Before Sybil could say anything, one of the boys said, “Don’t agree to do anything for this wretched man, Syb. What if he asks for your kidney? What if he is a con artist who wants to fleece you? I know his type.”

“Also, how dare he ask us to carry anything for him? Me, carry those heavy gallons? Do I look like his servant?” another said.

“I am not doing any damn thing for this trash just for a ride. Let’s go wait for another ride, girls,” the third boy said, and they were already turning when Sybil’s voice stopped them.

“Yes, I promise to grant you the favor," she answered Adam without sparing them a glance. Then she added, “My friends will also load the cans into the Jeep if they know what is good for them."

“Sybil, you can't just..."

“I am not going to stay in this godforsaken place for one more minute." Sybil cut the girl off. Then she turned to the boys and said, “Get the gallons now and let’s leave this place with him, or you will answer to my dad when I explain to him the reason why I got to the jet late. I am sure you will have a field day telling him how you put my life in danger just because you were too lazy to carry some cans,” she said primly. Then she tossed her hair back and gazed at them in a “What is it going to be?” manner.

Adam almost laughed out loud at the myriads of emotions that crossed the boys’ faces as they looked at each other, looked back at Sybil’s determined face, and then threw daggers at Adam with their eyes before they begrudgingly started the task.

Minutes later, they were all well on their way to the airstrip. Adam was surprised that the teenagers were behaving so well so far. In his experience, spoilt rich brats like them would have looked for any slight opportunity to insult him and insult him about how poor he was.

The teenagers at the back were mostly engrossed in whatever it was that they were whispering to each other, while Sybil, who sat beside Adam at the front, was silently moving her phone from side to side like she was searching for a network reception.

“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath in frustration.

“Hey, man. I need to ease myself,” one of the boys said suddenly after they had gone like five miles from the gas station.

“I don’t see a restroom here,” Adam said in annoyance without slowing down. He just wanted to get home to his parents on time. Not listen to every whim of a fool who couldn’t manage to keep his liquid in.

“I will just make do with what we’ve got,” the boy said as he threw his hands wildly at the greenery by the roadside.

They were away from residential areas at that moment.

“He said he needed to go. Just park, and he will be back in no time. It is not as if the plane is running,” Sybil said with her eyes glued to her phone still.

When Adam threw her a scathing look, she looked at him and, with fake humility, added, "Please.”

"Fine,” Adam said with an annoyed sigh as he parked the car. “But if zombies caught up with us while you were taking your leak, it will be your problem, not mine,” he added.

The boy snorted and got out of the car. The others said they wanted to stretch their legs too.

Sybil turned her attention back to her phone without another statement. With a fake smile, she told Adam that she wanted to move around so that she could get a network to tell the pilot that they were on their way.

Inside, she was boiling with anger. She had never had to beg anybody for anything before, yet this poor nobody had humiliated her by making her beg him. Twice now. 

She would make him pay. Once she was able to get her network back and get in touch with her dad, she would show him who the boss was. The trash.

“Yes!” she shouted suddenly with excitement when a single bar of the network showed on her phone just as she stepped out of the car.

Adam, who was already thinking of his family again, jolted out of his thoughts. With annoyance, he said sarcastically. “Wow, Miss. Why not just get a megaphone and shout well so that you can attract all the zombies around?”

Sybil was already dialling a number then. She turned to Adam with a sneer. All humility gone as she said, “Now, look here, you piece of..."

“Fuck, they are here!” One of the boys screamed like a girl.

“Who is... oh fuck! Oh fuck!” another teenager shouted.

“Oh my God, they are everywhere,” Sybil said with a squeak as her widened eyes took in what the guys were yelling about.

The girl screamed from another direction. A bit far from the car, while the others, apart from Sybil, were also far from the car. Adam did not need to see the zombies that suddenly seemed to be pouring out from every angle to know what they were shouting about.

He was tempted to just leave them there to fend for themselves. They were the reason why they were still there at that time anyway. But he still needed to get to that jet. Since he doubted that Sybil would want to leave her friends, who were currently screaming like fools, instead of running behind, he got out of the car, jerked his hand at Sybil, and mouthed “Get in the car!”

He pointed at her phone and made the gesture that she should shut it off. "Hello,” he heard someone say on the other end as he went to check out their situation.

Down the slope from where they stayed, there were a couple of outbuildings that looked like abandoned hunters’ lodges. That must have been where the zombies came from. He made a signal to them to stop shouting and get back to the car silently.

The teenage boys were still closer to the car than the girl. They nodded in fright and started moving towards the car. The girl was shaking with fright instead of moving. Adam rolled his eyes, and he knew that he had to go get her since he couldn’t afford to shout at her from that distance. 

The zombies were coming up the slope already, and they were almost at the road. In no time, they would get to the shaking girl. 

Adam started moving towards her. Then Sybil’s phone rang shrilly in the silence. The zombies’ head jerked towards that direction and they started moving faster. The girl screamed again in terror and two of them reached for her.

“Don’t just stand there. Run!” Adam shouted.

As if her feet were suddenly uprooted, she turned suddenly and ran straight into Adam who was reaching for her at that time.

“Get out of my way!” she yelled and pushed him with all her might and kept running towards the car just as the zombies came over the edge.

The unexpected move and her adrenaline-spiked strength sent Adam stumbling backward. Before he could steady himself, his shoes caught against a stone he hadn’t noticed while focused on the girl. He went down hard. 

Pain shot through his shin as it made a cracking sound when he hit the jagged edge of the stone buried in the soil. Adam couldn’t quickly get back up as the snarling zombies reached for him. Five of them, with two more still coming up the slope.

Blood soaked through Adam’s jean!