I’m twenty and it might be time I…”
“You’ll always be an itty bitty princess to me, and a daddy’s girl.” Bear laughed. Kate’s reply was drown out by the roar of engines when the light turned green. Bear pulled quickly away. Slapping down her visor Kate chuckled at him.
“Coward, knew you were going to get an earful,” she thought. The smile on Kate’s face faltered as they continued toward town. Empty street after empty street flew by. They had not seen another vehicle on the road since they left the house.
“This is just eerie”. She thought. A small laugh escaped as she continued to think, “this is the safest I’ve felt riding through town though.” She looked at all the empty cross streets, nobody on a cell phone, looking in the wrong direction, or not stopping at a stop sign. Tonight it was just two bikes rumbling through a ghost town.
The light ahead turned red. Martin slowed to a stop; Bear pulled up next to them in the same lane. A beautiful red Mustang eased to a stop next to them. Kate glanced over at the car. “Not bad,” she thought about both the car and the driver.
“So when we pick up your bike, do you think they’ll have training wheels for you?” Bear laughed, grabbing Kate’s attention.
“I just figured I borrow the ones you took off your bike last week.” Kate shot back with a laugh. She glanced over at the Mustang driver. He was looking at her. “He is cute.” She thought as her eyes caught his.
Bear’s barking laugh was covered by the roar of the bike’s engines as the light turned. Martin followed. Kate noticed the Mustang didn’t move. “I wonder if he is thinking about following us.” The thought quickly left her mind as she noticed they were only a couple of blocks from the Harley shop.
A few more minutes on the empty streets then they were pulling into the completely empty lot. The store’s sign was off, the inside was dimly lit, it appeared to be closed. This was not a surprise as most businesses had closed early; some had been closed for a couple of days due to the illness.
Even though she was disappointed at the dark shop, Kate was off her father’s bike in a flash. All thoughts of empty streets and cute boys in cools cars were gone. She only had eyes for the glistening chrome and steel with the sold sign that she knew was just inside the door.
She peered through the huge picture window searching for her bike. Her hand found her wallet in her jacket. She could almost see the motorcycle endorsement printed on her license. She had passed the safety course a couple of weeks ago. She had picked out her bike. Worked all summer to save up for it. On Monday the three of them would return to pick it up. A long and twisty ride was planned for that day.
Her imagination had her twisting the throttle through a turn, the road rushing by her feet. She didn’t even hear her Martin and Bear walk up behind her.
“I haven’t seen her this excited since that Lego set came out a few years back.” Martin laughed.
“I still can’t believe she went for the blue one. I thought sure she wanted a pink one.”
Kate spun around to glare up at Bear. He took a step back holding up his hands in mock defense, a board smile playing under his beard. “I have never,” she poked him in his broad chest, “and will never,” another poke, the large man backed up a step, “like pink.” Kate emphasized her point by punching him in the shoulder, repeatedly.
“Call her off Marty, call her off.”
Martin laughed, “You got yourself into this you get yourself out.”
“Ok ok, you don’t like pink.” Bear laughed out. “still buying you a basket for the front.” He mumbled.
“Dork!” Kate said shaking her head. She was trying and failing not to let the smile break out. With one last punch she turned back to the store. A flash on chrome caught her attention. A light appear through a doorway in the back of the shop. “Hey look, Dusty is here.” She pointed the light out to the two men. Banging on the window to get his attention she yelled for him.
Dusty Rhode’s head snapped up at the noise. He looked to the window. He saw Kate, she smiled and waved at him. He hesitated for a second, looked down at his hands and shirt Without returning the way he disappeared back through the door.
Kate turned to look at the other two who wore the same confused expression she did, “That was weird.”
“Maybe he isn’t supposed to be here?” Bear pondered.
“Huh” Kate grunted as she stared back into the ever darkening store.
The crunch of gravel told her that the two men were heading back to their bikes. A cold wind whipped her hair over her face. She shivered slightly but wasn’t entirely sure it was the wind.
“Come on Kate, let’s get going.” Martin called over the starting of his machine.
Kate stood staring between her bike and the closed door. Something was amiss. When they had been here on any other occasion Dusty would go out of his way to talk to them, to the point they had to make excuses to get away from him. Now he didn’t even return a wave.
A bike revved. “We can pick you up Monday if you like.” Bear shouted over the engine.
Kate returned to the bike. “Hold on a sec.” Another cool breeze had caused her to zip her jacket up all the way. She opened one of the hard bags on Martin’s bike and pulled out a pair of heavy leather pants. She pulled these over her jeans and jumped on the back of the bike. Pulling on her helmet she bonked her dad to let him know she was ready.
“Can we go now?” Bear complained, throwing his hands in the air.
Kate waved him off while Martin put the bike in gear.
In the back of the store Dusty peered through a small gap in the door. He watched the taillights disappear from the lot. He looked down at the bloody wrench on the table and his blood covered hands and shirt. Would they have believed him? Behind Dusty, the service manager lay on the floor. The front of his head was caved in. Dusty’s fingers rubbed lightly on the blood soaked cloth covering the bite he had received from the slain man. He flinched at the pain. The wound was already feeling very hot while Dusty’s head began to ache.
Back on the road Bear’s unease grew with each block now. He had noticed the small group of people as they left the Harley shop. They had been slowly wandering down the block. Something about the way they moved bothered him. They just…weren’t right. “Probably, bunch a meth heads.” He grumbled to the wind.
The further they rode the more they saw. Up ahead was a woman hanging onto a sign post. Down a side street there were four or five of them wandering down the middle of the road.
“What do you reckon? The sick have started wandering about?” Martin shouted the question at the next stop light.
“What the hell is wrong with everyone?” Bear returned. His eyes went wide, “Marty! Kate! Look out!” He was pointing behind them.
Martin’s head snapped in the direction bear pointed. A Bloody man in a suit stumbled off the sidewalk toward them. He reached out grabbing Kate’s forearm. It felt like a vice closing on her. Kate screamed, Martin revved the engine and let go of the clutch. The front wheel of the heavy bike left the ground. Kate
