by Poe, S. B.
“We’ll just head down about hundred yards or so and then start.” Bridger said.
They got to a spot that Bridger decided would be a good place to begin. They all took their axes and went to work. Dottie stood on the road watching. After about thirty minutes they all stopped and looked at each other. Everyone was drawing heavy breaths, some more than others. Ed leaned on his axe.
“Damn. This sucks.” Ed said.
The four of them started swinging again but with a little less vigor. The adrenaline rush of starting had waned rapidly. They worked taking a few breaks for the next few hours. They managed to cut down several smaller trees and Bridger managed one larger tree. They had felled them in more or less the same direction. Bridger wanted to keep the road clear.
“Another break?” Bridger asked as the small tree he was working on fell to the ground.
“Sure.” Evelyn said. She took another few swings and left the axe buried in the tree.
They had worked a steady pace and looking around they could tell a difference.
“You know, I wasn’t sure about the benefit of doing this but I gotta admit, even with this little bit we’ve done I can see what you are talking about.” Charlie said as he looked at Bridger, the breath steaming from his mouth in gushes.
“It’s a lot of work but I think it’s worth it.” Bridger said.
“I agree. I think I am going to head back now. I get what needs to be done. I’ll make sure we stay on track tomorrow with Kate and Scott.” Charlie said. He stood.
“Great. We’ll see you this evening.” Bridger said.
Charlie turned and started walking back towards the compound. He looked back over his shoulder and could see the others grabbing their axes and heading back into the woods. He turned back towards the compound. He got about halfway up the road and stopped. He glanced back partially over his other shoulder and slowly brought his head back. There. He stepped forward a half step. Between the trees he could see something. He tilted his head left and right. Finally he started walking towards it. About twenty yards into the woods on the opposite side of the road he could see a girl. A young girl. In a dress. He slowly approached her.
“Hey, you ok?” Charlie said, as he got closer. There was no response from the girl.
She stood in the shadow of a big oak tree. As he got closer he could see she was not ok. He saw the cuts and tears on her legs and the dried blood on her arms and hands. The dress was covered in mud and blood and her skin had the gray pallor of the others he had seen. She was a deadun but she was motionless. She looked dead. Deader.
Charlie stood looking at her. He was only a few feet away and yet this thing still had not moved. He bent forwards and looked up at her eyes. The lids were closed. He couldn't see her chest rise and fall but he wasn’t sure it would. Did these things breathe? He had told Bridger they didn’t know shit about these things. He thought briefly about trying to somehow restrain it so they could learn something about them but then an image from some movie flashed in his mind. A mad scientist dissection. He dismissed it from his mind with a quick smile and turned his attention back to the thing in front of him.
He considered that he should turn back and get some of the others and looked around. It was just him and this thing. He unsheathed his knife and turned it over in his hand and raised it above his head like Norman Bates. He drove it down to the top of the things head. The blade glanced off the hard bone of its skull and Charlie slightly lost his balance. The things eyes suddenly opened as he leaned towards it trying to regain his footing. He felt the sharp pain in his shoulder as the thing bit into his flesh. His eyes grew wide and he screamed. He hammered the knife into the side of the things head rapidly. Pop. The thing went limp. He dropped the knife and covered the wound with his hand. He could feel the blood soaking through his clothes. He knew. He stumbled back out towards the road.
Bridger and Evelyn both heard the scream. Ed turned and started leaping over the fallen trees towards the sound. Dottie started back towards the road with Bridger and Evelyn. They all stepped out onto the muddy track as Charlie stepped out just up the road. They could see blood on the hand covering his shoulder. They ran to him.
“What happened?” Bridger asked.
“Bit. I saw one. It was asleep or frozen or something. I walked right up to her and and …” Charlie trailed off, trying to remember what went wrong.
“Let me see.” Evelyn said.
“It’s no use. I felt it.” Charlie said.
“Let’s get you back and let Raj take a look.” Evelyn said.
“Oh shit. Jennifer. How am I going to tell Jennifer? How…” Charlie started.
“Hey, hey. Calm down. I don’t know but I do know she’ll need you to be calm. Right now.” Evelyn said.
“You’re right.” Charlie said. “Shit.” He nodded but Evelyn could see the weight heavy on his shoulders.
They all walked with Charlie back to the gate. Ed opened it up and they all walked through.
“Let’s go to the saloon.” Bridger said.
Charlie walked with Evelyn’s arm wrapped over his shoulder. Bridger, Dottie and Ed followed closely behind. They walked up onto the porch of the saloon and in through the door.
“Ed, go find Raj. Tell him bring the first aid kit.” Bridger said. Ed nodded and ducked back out the door.
Kate was in the kitchen and heard them come through the door. She came around the corner and saw Charlie slumped in a chair with Evelyn in the chair next to him helping him take off his jacket.
“What happened?” Kate said as she came in the room.
“Charlie. He thinks he got bit.” Evelyn said looking in Charlie’s eyes.
“Ed went to get Raj.” Bridger said as he took his own jacket off.
“Where’s Jennifer?” Charlie turned his eyes towards Kate and asked.
“Her and Scott went to see if there were any more blankets on the bus. I’ll go get her.” Kate said.
“Not yet. Please. Just…not yet” Charlie said.
“Ok.” Kate said as she glanced at Bridger. He walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle. He poured a shot into a glass and handed it to Charlie. He drank it down.
Evelyn managed to get Charlie’s jacket off and unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled it off his good shoulder and she helped him pull it off the other one. He had a t-shirt on and it was covered in blood. They could see the small tears in the material.
“Let’s let Raj take that off.” Evelyn said.
Charlie nodded at her as he raised the neck of his shirt to look underneath. He grimaced as he did, not from pain. He looked back up at Evelyn and lowered his shirt back down. She stood. Her eyes met Bridger’s. They both had the same look. What now?
Raj came through the door with the first aid kit and stepped in front of Charlie.
“Ok. Charlie. Tell me what happened?” Raj said.
Charlie started recounted the story. Raj cut away the t-shirt, the whole time nodding and giving the “uh huh, mmm, ok” sounds meant to reassure the patient during the examination. Raj cleaned the shoulder with alcohol and wiped the blood away from around it. He finally stepped back from in front of him long enough for Bridger, Kate and Evelyn to see the wound. On Charlie’s left shoulder, just under the collarbone, was an oval pattern of several small punctures. It was almost an exact replica of the wound on the top of JW’s foot. Kate put her hand over her mouth and the tears rolled down her cheeks. Bridger, Dottie and Evelyn just looked down. Charlie kept staring at the wound, tears rolling down his cheeks too.
“I’m sorry.” Raj said. He tore open a gauze pad and covered the wound. He taped it down and gave Charlie a couple pads and a roll of tape out of the kit.
“Save them. For someone who may need them later.” Charlie said.
“I’ll leave them. It is up to you whether you use them or not.” Raj said. He stood and stepped back.
“I think I need to see my daughter now.” Charlie said. He stood. Bridger quickly stepped forward between Charli
e and the others.
“Oh no now. You just sit right back down. We’ll get her.” Bridger said. He turned to Kate. “Kate, do you mind?”
“I’ll get her Charlie. You just rest.” Kate said, wiping the tears off her cheek. She walked back into the kitchen and out the back door.
“Thank you.” Charlie said as Kate exited. He turned to Bridger. “I get it. This is what needs to happen. You can’t let me go get her. I understand.”
Bridger nodded. He turned to Raj.
“Raj, can you and Dottie sit with him a while. I need to do something.” Bridger said.
“Sure.” Raj said.
“Evelyn, can you come with me?” Bridger asked, he looked at her and she recognized that he really wasn’t asking. She nodded and they walked back out the front door and out near the picnic table. Once they got a few yards away Evelyn turned to Bridger.
“You want to tell me what the plan is now?” Evelyn asked.
“I’m not sure but I know this, the clock is ticking.” Bridger started. “From the time JW said he got bit until the time he became one of those things was about twenty four hours. Give or take a couple. Right when this started I saw a man die in his bed and he turned within minutes. My guess is that it happens pretty quickly after death but it takes a little while for the bite to kill you. But that’s just a guess.”
“Well, one thing we know for sure you’re right about. The clock is ticking.” Evelyn said.
“We have to get him isolated and under guard. Like right now.” Bridger said. “He knows that has to happen. He said as much.”
“Where?” Evelyn asked.
“I guess the shack he’s already in. We need to move him there as quickly as we can.” Bridger said. She nodded in agreement.
They walked back inside the saloon. Charlie was sitting up a little straighter in the chair. He was anticipating the arrival of Jennifer and he wanted to make sure he looked as strong as he could. For her. They all heard the back door of the kitchen swing open and Charlie turned to look back over his shoulder as Jennifer came around the corner. His eyes met hers. They filled with tears. She rushed over to him and knelt down beside him. She saw the covered wound.
“Daddy. No. No. No.” She said, her voice devolving into harsh sobs. She leaned her head towards him and he pulled her close. He stroked the top of her head.
“It’s ok. It’s going to be ok.” He said. “You’ll be ok.”
She kept sobbing and he looked up at the others. They all made their way out of the saloon to give them a moment of privacy. All except Bridger. Charlie looked up at him and nodded. Bridger stepped back a little and found a seat at a table across the room. He watched as they hugged and cried and cried and hugged. He gave them a wide berth. After the tears had subsided and they had a chance to begin to come to terms with it, he stood.
“Charlie, we need to talk.” Bridger said.
“Ok.” Charlie said, looking up from his daughter.
“We need to move you.” Bridger said as Jennifer’s eyes climbed up to his. “You need to be somewhere comfortable.”
“And secure.” Charlie said, understanding what Bridger was saying.
“That too.” Bridger said as he looked at Jennifer.
Bridger watched as Charlie stood. Jennifer backed away from him as he picked his coat up from the back of the chair. He ran his good arm through the sleeve and she helped drape it over his other shoulder.
“Thank you honey. Go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute.” Charlie said. She walked out of the saloon. He looked up at Bridger.
“Ok. Where to?” Charlie asked.
“Back to your shack.” Bridger said.
“Listen, I am not one to complain, but since it’s probably the place I’m going to die in, can we call it a hut or something. Just don’t want my final place to be some shack in the woods. Hut sounds more romantic.” Charlie smiled.
“Sure. Let’s go to your hut.” Bridger smiled back. They headed out the door.
5
Another road
Night descended on the cul-de-sac. Jahda and Ham slept on the couch. Devin slept on the floor. Josh came out of his room without waking Lori and stepped into the bathroom. It was fetid. They used the shower and sink as an all purpose urinals and the toilet for serious needs. They could flush it by filling it with water but that was in limited supply. Most of the time they went in the backyard. But nighttime was different. Josh leaned into the shower and tilted his head back.
“Aaahh” He said as the pressure on his bladder decreased.
“Wait a few years, you’ll be doing that five times a night.” Martin said from behind him.
Josh jerked halfway around, a steady stream painting the wall and splattering back on his hands. He cut it off, eyes wide and turned back.
“Damn, you scared the shit out of me.” Josh said.
“Nah, just the piss.” Martin said, nodding towards the fluid now running down the wall.
They both laughed. Josh stepped out and Martin stepped in and relieved himself. He turned to Josh.
“Listen, since everyone is asleep, I wanted to talk to you. Just you and me.” Martin said.
“Ok. What about?” Josh said. Martin turned and zipped up his pants. They walked to the kitchen.
“The place you came from. The place in the woods. The compound.” Martin said.
“Well I never actually made it to the compound but sure. What do you want to know?” Josh asked.
“How far?” Martin asked.
“About 75 miles.”
“And you know the way?”
“Most of it. Bridger told me how to get to the compound from my families place. So yeah, I know the way.” Josh said.
“Bridger, he’s in charge?”
“I don’t know if in charge is the right word. He knew my Dad. They were in the army together. He and my Dad kind of took charge to get us out but I don’t think anyone is in charge.”
“How many people are there?” Martin asked. Josh tilted his head a little. Martin could tell he was counting.
“There’s my brother, my mom, Bridger, Ms. Collins, Charlie and Jennifer, Raj and Tilly, that Ed guy, Dottie and Amanda so eleven. Yep, eleven.” Josh said.
“And you know these people?” Martin asked.
“I guess. Jennifer is Lori’s friend and Charlie is her father. Amanda was with them. She lost her husband just before I left. Raj and Tilly came with Uncle Bridger. Ed was already there but Bridger trusts him. Ms. Collins was our next door neighbor.” Josh said nodding towards the street.
“And Dottie?” Martin asked.
“Oh she’s a straight laced church lady. Her husband didn’t make it. You’d probably like her. She’s old too.” Josh said smiling.
Martin smiled. He probably deserved that for making Josh piss all over himself. Martin reached into his pocket and produced his lighter. He lit the candle and it illuminated the map he had spread across the table earlier.
“Where?” Martin asked.
Josh looked at the map and found Hwy 44. He traced it back towards South Springs until he found a cross roads he knew by name near the lake. He reversed his finger north and followed it until it came to another crossroads. This was where that fireworks stand is, he thought to himself. He turned east and traced another few miles. He stopped.
“Here, right here.” Josh said. Martin looked down.
“There’s nothing there.” Martin said.
“That’s kind of the point, right?” Josh asked.
“I guess so.” Martin said. He patted Josh on the back.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll keep watch.” Martin said.
“Nah, I’m good. Always was kind of an early riser. The morning all this started, when it got to Atlanta, I got up and left to go fishing so early that my mother almost panicked trying to find me.” Josh said smiling. It seemed so long ago now.
“I was up early that morning too. Before all this, I was a security guard at Ham’s school. It was a good job. I had retire
d a year earlier from Caloosa County Sheriff’s office and I enjoyed being around the kids. Anyway, I got up like I always did, around four and turned on the TV. The first thing I heard was Atlanta and since we lived right by the Georgia line my ears perked up. I had been following most of the news the day before but it still seemed like something overseas and far away. Atlanta was right outside.” He continued. “The local emergency broadcasts started coming across the scanner I kept in the kitchen. I woke Ham up and we started packing. Jahda knocked on the door a few hours later. Her and Maria, I told you about Maria and Hector right?” Martin looked at Josh.
Josh nodded.
“Her and Maria came over to see if we wanted to go with them.” Martin said.
“Where?” Josh asked.
“To the speedway. There was going to be a big shelter set up and everyone was going there.” Martin said.
“I thought you said you went to the big shelter south of Atlanta.” Josh said.
“We did. The speedway got taken over as a military staging area. They were going to marshal a force to go back into Atlanta. It never happened. But making all the civilians travel halfway across Georgia sure did.” Martin said, the anger rising in his voice. It was the first time Josh had seen Martin seem angry. He continued. “Anyway, things went the way they did for a reason I guess.”
“So you’re thinking about asking them if they want to try for the compound aren’t you?” Josh said, changing the subject back to the beginning.
“Yeah, I am. What would you say?” Martin asked.
“Well, Lori and I came back to South Springs to get some answers. I think we got them. I think I would like to see my mother again. And Lori would probably like to see her friend. So if that’s what you want to do, I guess we would be in.” Josh said.
“In what?” Ham said as she walked into the kitchen. She sleepily rubbed the corner of her eye. Martin and Josh looked up at her and then back at each other. Josh started to speak but Martin spoke first.
“Ham, you know how you said I had a terrible plan.” Martin said, turning to her.