Cascade Collection

by Phil Maxey

  Abbey and the others appeared behind Cal, looking concerned. Robs arms eased their grip while his eyes looked away. Zach pulled free and moved through the main hall, into the church and then outside as the clanging from the bell stopped.

  In the morning light Zach could see the destruction the compound had taken over the previous months. A ring of crumbled and rusting cars surrounded them about a hundred yards away in all directions. Up against the metallic wall were wooden platforms, which were currently manned by forlorn looking people in dirty clothes, mostly with garden implements as weapons. The church and surrounding buildings were a patchwork of wooden planks nailed at odd angles to seal their occupants inside. The ground itself around the church was pot marked with dark oily puddles.

  The rest of the group appeared behind Zach and went their separate ways. Zach spotted Alex on one of the platforms and joined him. Fiona and Jacks climbed up onto other platforms. As Zach approached the top of the rickety ladder, he could see what Rob meant about being surrounded.

  Alex looked through some binoculars. “These are the things we have been seeing more of recently, but not in this number.”

  The road Zach and the others had traveled up the night before and the surrounding hills, now looked like a scene from an African savannah, with Calgorians sitting, some in groups, some alone.

  “Does this wall extend around the full perimeter?” said Zach.

  “Yes, we learned our lesson in the early days when there were some gaps.”

  The same boy that interrupted Zach before appeared behind the wooden platform they were standing on. “Father Alex, Rob and Earl say they are going to need at least four hours to get the bus running.”

  “Thank you Dale, tell Rob that it’s going to need to be armored up as well.”

  “I will!” said Dale running off, not seeming to care about the puddles he was running through.

  “No radio’s here, luckily we have Dale for our communications!” said Alex. Zach smiled and looked down the scope of his rifle. “A few weeks back one of those creatures climbed over the wall and was in the compound before we knew it, killed three people. It moved quicker than any animal I’ve ever seen. I managed to drive one of the trucks we have into it and pin it against the side of one of the buildings, then we finished it off, we got lucky with that one. If all of these attacked at once…”

  “We will hold them off until we are ready to break out. You need to get everyone who isn’t manning these walls ready to leave. They need to travel light, and have them all in the main part of the church near the entrance. If we can fit them all onto the bus we will,” said Zach studying the creatures that were nonchalantly enjoying the morning sun. “Cal, how’s it looking on the west side? Over.”

  Cal and Michael approached a good-sized classic looking barn a few hundred yards behind the church. The wall of cars went up to both sides of it, with the barn being the breaker in-between. A rope ladder went to the top of the roof of the barn, where a young man, in a denim jacket sat with a rifle.

  “Just about to find out. Over,” said Cal, climbing up a small wooden platform and then grabbing hold of the rope ladder to gain access to the barn’s roof. As he climbed he looked out over the tops of trees which blanketed the landscape for miles north and south to the west of the wall. A river ran between the wall and the tree line, with an overgrown looking trail crossing it by an old looking bridge. The young man changed the rifle into his other hand and held his free hand out for Cal to shake.

  “Names Tyler, Tyler Harris.”

  “Cal,” Who briefly shook his hand. “Any sign of anything?”

  “No Sir.”

  “I’m going to check out the inside of the barn and then the rest of the wall.” shouted Michael from below. Cal acknowledged and then kneeled, raising the scope to his eye.

  “No need to call me Sir, Cal will do.” The sun was bright, but the forest below still held on to its shadows. Cal slowly swept the scope across the forward most trees but couldn’t see anything moving. “How good are you with that rifle?”

  “I can take down a deer at eighty yards.”

  “And how quickly can you reload?”

  Tyler’s brow squeezed together “Maybe three seconds.”

  Cal lowered the scope from his face. “Good, save your bullets until the creatures are a few yards from the wall, make every shot count. How much ammo you got?”

  “I’m fully loaded with another cartridge in my pocket.”

  “So that’s, around fifteen rounds?” Tyler nodded yes. “Don’t run out of ammo up here, when you’re halfway through that other cartridge retreat back to the church, if I’m here I’m cover you.” Tyler smiled and for a disorientating moment Cal was looking at himself smiling at his grandfather. Shaking his head, he picked up his radio. “No movement on the west side. We also have one gun over here. A young man called Tyler. Over.”

  Michael stood inside the large barn, the smell of wood and gasoline invading his senses. Pitchforks and shovels lined the walls, together with cans of gasoline across the bottom of each side. At the far end impressive beams at a forty-five degree angle propped up a large wooden door, which also had beams nailed across it.

  “Tyler’s probably the best shot we have in the compound,” said Alex standing next to Zach, “He’s Robs younger brother.”

  “How many guns do you have?” said Zach.

  “Including my own, and Tyler’s, four. Nathan over there,” Alex pointed to the north to a dark-haired thickset man, standing with Fiona and then to the south “and Brianna, both have rifles, but obviously not as good as the weapons your soldiers have.”

  “If the Calgorians move within fifty yards of the walls, one of my people will take one down, hopefully that will scare off the others. Tell your people to save their ammo until the creatures are within yards of the wall. The plan is to hold them off until we can get everyone in the vehicles then we leave, whether those things are in the way or not.”

  The church bustled with anxious silence only broken by the occasional hungry screams from a baby. Colored biblical images projected by the morning sun and the stained glass, lay on the ground and walls, while people sat on the planked floor and boxes, with a few on the pews at the front. Abbey and Jacob had spent the previous thirty minutes with Aileen convincing people that they were going to have to leave in a hurry and to only take what they absolutely needed. Every now and again Dale would run through the church with a piece of paper on a mission to deliver important information.

  “How long are we going to be in here Aileen?” shouted a slender man with dark thinning hair.

  “Makes no sense asking me Jed, I don’t control fate do I?” replied Aileen. The man grumbled something and sat down heavily. “If we are here for longer than an hour I will make sure everyone is well fed and watered.”

  “Where were you before? Months back when we needed you?” shouted a young girl holding a baby in Abbey’s direction. “We lost good people,” said the girl, her voice trembling. “Now I gotta look after my child without a father.” The hum of background voices in the church rose. Abbey felt anxious and looked down not knowing how to respond. More people got to their feet and started towards Abbey, when Jacob took a step forward.

  “People, if we could have been here months ago we would have been,” said Jacob in a friendly, welcoming tone, and then turned and addressed the girl with the baby directly. “What’s your name young lady?”

  “Kayla.” Wiping her cheek while bouncing the baby up and down.

  “And what’s the name of the little one?”

  “Dillon.”

  “That’s a fine name.” Jacob held out his hands to take the baby. Abbey stood watching. The young girl handed her baby over to Jacob, who raised him high and then back down. “He’s going to be a strong one when he’s older! He’s already making my arms tired!” said Jacob laughing. The young girl smiled and Jacob returned her baby to her, he then took a step back to address the rest of the people in the chur
ch. “You people have survived. Most of the world out there,” he pointed to the outside. “Has not. We are here to make sure you keep surviving. Please be patient with us, and we will all be leaving soon.” The hum in the church quietened and the people that were standing sat back down, preferring to talk amongst themselves. Jacob walked back and joined Abbey near the church lobby entrance.

  “Never knew you had it in you Jacob.”

  “When dealing with an anxious group of people, find the one that is the most vulnerable and put them at ease,” said Jacob with a smile that unsettled her.

  “I’ll remember that,” she said.

  CHAPTER SIX

  A late eighties dusty yellow school bus with its engine cover up sat at the north side of the church, under a fragile looking car port. A blackened metal toolbox lay on the ground along with an arrangement of tools, and a lamp hung from the ceiling.

  “Give me the medium ratchet.” Rob said to Earl. A scrawny man of mid thirties wearing overalls and with greasy hair rummaged through the toolbox.

  “Is this it?” Rob glanced back and grabbed it from his hand. “Maybe we can get outta here? Now the army has come?”

  “The walls haven’t been attacked for four days, as soon as these clowns show up we are surrounded by those damn creatures,” Rob held out his grime-covered hand again. “The smaller ratchet and cut a five-inch piece of the rubber pipe.”

  Earl set about cutting the rubber.

  “Remember measure twice, cut once, like pap used to show you.”

  “Yeah yeah I got it. Sometimes I think you think I’m the youngest brother.”

  Zach appeared with Alex and approached the bus.

  “How’s things coming along,” said Alex.

  “Two maybe three hours,” said Rob his head buried in the engine. Earl tugged on Robs jacket. “What now Earl.” Rob lifted his head and saw Zach standing there.

  “Need any help?” said Zach walking closer. “I used to help my father with his car projects, I know my way around an engine, even one belonging to an old girl like this.” Zach placed his hand affectionately on the side of the bus.

  “We got this,” said Rob.

  “Good, well two to three hours will…” Before Alex could finish his sentence the sound of gunshots rang around the area. Zach immediately turned and ran towards the gate, followed by Alex. Nathan was ducking behind the top most crumpled car in the wall next to him. Fiona stood a few feet to his side looking down the scope of her assault rifle, which was balanced on the flattened roof of a green sedan.

  “Fiona was that you?” shouted Zach.

  “Yup, it moved so damn quick, took…” More shots rang out, this time from across the other side of the camp. Zach’s radio came to life with Cal’s voice.

  “Just had one approach the west side, through the tree’s. It’s dead. Over,” said Cal.

  Zach and Alex climbed up the platform near the gate, now there were hundreds of Calgorians sitting and standing, from the south to the north on the gated side of the wall.

  “Why are they not all attacking at the same time?” said Alex.

  Zach looked down his rifle’s scope. “ They are testing our defenses, seeing what parts are well defended and what parts are…” Before Zach could finish an anguished scream echoed out from the south side of the wall. A woman appeared near the wall, shouting, running and pointing behind her. Jacks was the closest and ran towards and the past the woman, immediately kneeling and firing two shots. In an instant a blur moved to a position twenty-feet from Jacks and reformed into a Calgorian snarling in Jack’s direction. Jacks fired again and this time the creature was hit above its eye and collapsed.

  Zach ran down and approached the Calgorian lying limp on the ground. Blood from its wounds mixed with the muddy water underneath it. He then prodded it with the barrel of his gun, there was no response.

  “Nice shooting,” said Zach to Jacks.

  “Almost missed it, boy that thing moved quick, that woman kept getting in the way, she’s lucky it’s not her lying on the ground, few more seconds and it would have been.”

  “You got explosive ordinance right?”

  “Sure do, few claymores, some packs of C-4, what you thinking?”

  Alex appeared and ran up to Zach and Jacks. “Janine had quiet a fright, thank you for saving her.”

  “We’re not going to be able to keep them out, so we should stop trying,” said Zach. Alex’s expression changed to one of confusion. “Is there another way out of this compound?” said Zach to Alex.

  “No…”

  “No trails, paths, nothing big enough for the vehicles?”

  “Well on the west side, down there.” Alex pointed towards the barn “On the other side of the barn there’s a trail which goes through the forest, up Carters Hill and eventual joins Folsom’s road, which leads back into Brownstone, but I’m not sure if it’s big enough for the bus, and even if it is the bridge that crosses the creak is rotten.”

  Zach slid his fingers over his stubbly chin. “I need to see this trail.”

  Alex led Zach along the wall a hundred yards, until they were standing in front of the barn. Cal and Tyler were still on top of it.

  Zach and Alex climbed up the small platform and then onto the barn to join Cal. A trail of about seven-feet wide crossed a small wooden bridge with rotten dark pieces of wood then disappeared into the trees. Zach followed the indentation in the treetops and could see it again a few klicks further on, where it appeared on the side of a treeless hill flowing over the top of it. Jacks appeared at the bottom of the platform trying to listen to the conversation above him.

  Zach flicked the switch on the radio. “Fiona, if some of them start moving forward let them get closer than before and keep doing that. Over” Fiona acknowledged. “Could work.” Zach said more to himself then anyone around him.

  “What could?” said Alex.

  Zach addressed Alex directly. “We’re going to blow up your church.”

  “What?” said Alex not knowing how to respond to such a suggestion. “No, this church has stood in Brownstone for over seventy years, why do you want to blow it up? How’s that going to help us?”

  “We’re going to set a trap for our friends outside. We make them think the east side of the wall is weak, by letting them get closer each time they attack…”

  “Yeah but…” said Alex trying to interrupt.

  “Then we lead them a trail into your church, where waiting for them will be C-4 explosive, once there’s a good amount in there we detonate and try to make as big a bang as we can. While that’s keeping their attention, we leave by the barn exit below us and make our way across the bridge and along that trail. If we are lucky they will be too messed up by the burning church to realize what’s happening.”

  “But the bridge, it’s not been repaired in years, that’s…”

  “That’s why we’re going to repair it, all we need is to put some large beams along it, and that should be good enough to support the vehicle’s weight. It’s only thirty-feet to get across… Alex, you have seen what’s outside the east wall, there’s no way we are getting through that, at least not without taking casualties, and the longer we stay here the greater the chance they will all attack at the once, this is our best option.”

  Alex looked down, his mind accepting the logic of the plan. Zach looked at Cal, who’s expression was one of agreement.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Alex slowly walked into the church. Zach had called Abbey and Jacob outside to keep watch on the north wall. Some of the inhabitants of the church stood up as soon as Alex appeared.

  “How much longer? We have been in here for over an hour!” said an elderly slim man in jeans. Alex went to reply then stopped, his words seemingly not right for the occasion.

  “We’re all going to be leaving the compound within the next few hours.”

  Jacks appeared behind Alex holding his backpack out in front. He then started examining the interior of the church, moving a stack
of boxes and disappeared into one the recesses.

  “What’s he up to? Whys he in here?” said a portly middle-aged woman with graying hair. The murmuring in the church started to increase in volume.

  “Ben, Janine and everyone, please stay calm, I’m sure you have heard the gunfire outside… those creatures now number in the hundreds, and the soldier in charge, Captain Felton has a plan to kill as many of them as possible while allowing us to escape,” Alex paused then continued. “We’re going to use the old school bus, and leave through the barn on the west side, across the old bridge and up the trail,” Everyone started talking at the same time, throwing questions like they were grenades. He tried responding but before each word escaped his lips new questions were launched.

  “Quiet!” The six-foot four wide frame of Rob stood in the doorway with Earl by his side. The church fell silent. Rob approached Alex. “We need to talk.” They both walked into Alex’s room, as the door closed the background noise in the church rose once again. Alex sat heavily on his desk chair. “What’s this I hear about leaving through the trail out back? And over Carters Hill?” said Rob.

  “Captain Felton and I, decided it was the only way…” said Alex.

  “You mean Felton decided it?”

  “Rob, we can’t stay here, and we can’t leave through the main road. You have seen those things out there, seen how fast they move, even with the solders we won’t stand a chance. The only option is distract enough of them so we get away before they notice,” said Alex his voice rising with each word.

  Rob sat on the bed. “And you need to blow up the church? What if these people want to come back one day?”

  Alex stood and put his hand on Robs shoulder. “Then we build a new church.”

  Outside on the platform near the front gate, Fiona watched the Calgorians edge forward. Every now and again one of the creatures would dart forward and each time Fiona would allow it to get a few feet closer to the east wall before shooting the creature dead. Even though the creatures moved so fast they almost became a blur she learned to shoot ahead of them and became quite adept at bringing them down. After killing over a dozen, the waves of creatures were now getting to within fifty yards of the front gate. She almost felt sorry for them, more intelligent than the animals that inhabited these lands before, but still not smart enough to know to avoid a human with a gun.