by Burgy, P. J.
“Girl, you won’t get back in time if you run, and you sure as hell ain’t gonna ride on top of the goddamn car there’n’back.” Renshen grunted and then looked to Tengen. “Tengen Hai, tell ‘er.”
“I’ll trade with her,” Tengen said.
Renshen frowned. “Eh?”
“I said I’ll trade spots with her. Let her go, Dad,” Tengen said, meeting Renshen’s accusatory stare and remaining stoic in his gaze.
“Son of a gun!” Renshen spit on the ground. “Fine. Yeah. Trade spots. Yusha, see if you’ll fit in Tengen’s gear. An’ Tengen, we’re havin’ a talk later. A real heart to heart.”
“I look forward to it.” Tengen grinned.
“Son of a gun!” Renshen repeated, stalking off toward Hooper.
The two men appeared to be having a discussion on their way to the garage, and Kara could hear loud, angry words. What words those were, she couldn’t tell. It was enough to know that Renshen was furious, but allowing her to go along. She turned to look at Tengen.
She sighed. “Thank you.”
“Under different circumstances, I would say ‘no problem’, or ‘my pleasure’,” Tengen said to her, beginning to unclasp the front of his chest plate. “But, this time, I’m going to say, ‘you owe me one’.”
She reached out, took his helmet from him to make it easier. She watched him take off the armor, piece by piece, until he was only wearing his long pants and short sleeved shirt. “I do. I owe you bigtime.”
“I hope they’re okay. I really do.” Tengen began to hand pieces of the riot gear to her and she began to put them on. She was strapping on the chest plate, needing to pull the ties tightly to secure it around her smaller frame. “There wasn’t much to the call. It was him though. It was Ash, Tai said.”
Her full attention fell onto Tengen. “Ash made the SOS? Not Jim?”
“Tai said… said he sounded scared. Really scared.” Tengen swallowed, licking his lips. “I’m not trying to freak you out, Yusha, I’m sorry. I just want you to know, you might not like what you find there.”
“Pleasant Tree is a huge fort, Tengen. Their walls are thick and tall. Their gate is heavy and strong.” Kara leaned close to her brother as she finished putting on her thigh pads. The words she heard leaving her lips felt hollow, lacking conviction. She frowned as she spoke. “There is nothing that could get in... I mean... Whatever happened, maybe the Red Brethren attacked, maybe in the fray, I don’t know, a wire got snagged, or blown apart, knocked out their transmission. But Pleasant Tree isn’t going to fall that easy. I know that. I know their guards.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said.
“I want to be right. I just need to see. I need to see him.” She finished dressing just as the Bella roared in the garage. She turned around to look, the breeze pushing at her bangs, the sun rising above the wall and sending warm, yellow light across the rippling water of the lake. The sound of the massive rover vehicle’s engine turning had brought many people shambling out of their houses, and they were gathering on the island to watch.
The rover vehicle struggled at first, but then drove across the grass toward the main drag, toward the path leading to the big gate door. She heard the Bella sputter, but that roar was so familiar, so comforting a sound, that she could not help but stare in awe as the sunlight gleamed off of her metallic curves, trickled across the duller metal corners near her wheels, and sparkled on her long turret gun, raised and ready in the center of her roof, mounted against the round, glass window of her control chair.
The dark glass of the many small windows was thick, hard to see through. Her six all-terrain, saw-toothed tires were large, fortified, and bulletproof, grabbing the earth and pulling the massive vehicle along. Her front grill was rounded, shielded with what Renshen had referred to as a cow-catcher. Her roof was lined with strips of glass, UV lighting, and her headlights had two modes, red and white. She was a beast from the old world, growling and shuddering as she made her way closer and closer until Kara felt her throat clench. Across the side of her, near the tiny front windshield, in cursive letters, Bella.
Three guards had taken a spot next to her, their helmets on, and one of them had brought the dogs over. Trap was content to be left behind, watching curiously from the shack on the other side of the fence as his brothers were led over to the road. The Bella lumbered up to the gate and came to a rumbling stop ten feet back. She was shaking, the sound of her engine growing softer as whatever kinks she’d had in her were worked out. The side hatch opened, the door lifting up, and a ramp lowered to the ground. The lights were on inside, flickering, comforting.
Kara was the first to walk up the ramp, helmet hanging limply in her gloved grip, and she took a hard left, walking between the sets of bench seats on either side until she reached the drivers’ seat. Renshen was up there, Hooper sitting in the co-pilot seat. She frowned at the sight of him, only because that had been where she’d planned on sitting. Nodding to Hooper, she heard the others loading into the vehicle behind her.
“You got her running. That’s great, Dad.”
Renshen checked all the various controls and gauges on the dashboard, his attention diverted momentarily. Acknowledging that he’d heard her, he grunted. “She’ll make it. Don’t wanna push ‘er, but she’ll make it there, make it back. Just better hope for no trouble along the way.”
Kara looked back at the three guards, who were taking seats. The dogs sat, attentive and quiet, between the guards, staring forward. Behind the guards, the bunk beds, like shelves, were tethered and bolted into the wall of the vehicle. Three on one side, a fourth closer to the ground on the left, past the hatch door. Beyond those, the storage shelves. Weapons had been loaded on, but there were also rations, bottles of water, and medical kits. Anything that they might need on their day trip. And then, at the very back, the shower and bathroom with the built in water tank. Everything that a Rover needed was built into the Bella, albeit in a very compact and efficient manner; she was a fortress, a vehicle, and a home, all the same time.
Kara saw the hatch door closing, the ramp drawing back in. When it sealed, her ears felt like they’d pop. She’d missed that sensation. The guards shook themselves off, obviously unaccustomed to the cabin of a real rover vehicle. The front gate was opening up in front of the Bella.
“Take a seat, Yusha,” Renshen said.
She made her way back and sat down in a bench seat near the front, taking a moment to glance back at the sentries who had come along. One of them raised a hand and weakly waved at her. Kara tried to imagine who it could be. As soon as the Bella started forward again, leaving the fort through the main entrance, the guard took their mask off and Kara saw it was the woman with the short, reddish hair and the freckled cheeks.
Kara smiled. “Miranda.”
“Never been outside the walls,” Miranda told her.
“Oh, com’on, never?” Kara asked. “Never been on pile duty?”
“No, never. Never been on pile duty. Never been to a funeral either. Not yet,” Miranda replied, her lips twitching as she spoke. She wet her lips quickly, blinking hard and fast. “Never been outside of the walls.”
The Bella bounced along the road, the swaying of the vehicle causing Miranda some discomfort as she gripped her padded thighs and looked down at her lap.
“Get it together, Miranda,” The guard beside her said. It was Hodges, Kara recognized his voice. He sounded irritated.
“I’m sorry, I’m okay. Just, nervous, you know?” Miranda cleared her throat. “I’ve never seen another fort either. Born in Blue Lagoon. Looked over the walls during watch, saw as far as I could. Now, here I am. Going farther than that. Damn.”
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Kara told her, turned around now in her seat. “There’s a big world out there, right? A lot of road. A lot of sky. Trees as far as the eye can see, in some places. Mountains and valleys, huge fields of wildflowers. It’s really beautiful.”
“And Wailers. And gangs. Red Brethren,”
Miranda mumbled, shaking her head.
“Wailers at night. We’ll be back way before then,” Kara told her. “Red Brethren, well, they’d best not try to make our acquaintance. See that, up there?”
Kara pointed upward, at a hole in the ceiling. Inside, a bit of light escaped into the cabin, and a short hanging ladder was pinned up against the roof. She caught Miranda’s attention again and smiled.
“Yeah,” Miranda answered.
“That’s the Bella’s way of saying Goodbye to anyone she doesn’t want to talk to. Turret gun. I can climb up there, get seated real snug, and spin around in any direction I need to. The Red Brethren come too close, and I’ll make sure they regret it,” Kara said. She then yelled, turning her head toward the front of the Bella. “Ain’t that right, Dad? Turret gun on the top of her, send anyone off that we don’t want to deal with?”
“Got a rocket launcher in the back too!” Renshen called out.
“You kiddin’ me?” Kara forced a grin and then looked to Miranda. “See? It’ll be okay. No need to worry, Miranda. This is a rover. She’s built to stand up to anything and everything out here.”
Miranda coughed. “If you say so.”
“It’ll be okay, Miranda,” Kara repeated.
“You think all them folks at Pleasant Tree are dead?” Miranda asked.
“No. No way,” Kara replied. “Downed wire, I’ll betcha. That’s all.”
“You heard of the Highspire Horror, haven’t you?” Miranda licked her lips again.
“Don’t you bring that up,” Hodges groaned.
“This isn’t like Highspire,” Kara said.
“They let an Infected in, too soon to show in the UV check. Too soon for the dogs to smell.” Miranda swallowed thickly, eyes locked on Kara and yet staring off through her. “No one looked at her, no one checked for bites, for scratches…”
“Miranda,” The guard beside her warned.
“They let her in ‘cause she was pregnant, remember?” Miranda went on. “Their fort doc kept makin’ calls across the channel, letting everyone else know what was happening. When the lady had her baby, blood everywhere, and when she turned, biting them and scratching, and the dogs went wild. But it was too late, and people got Infected. But not all of ‘em told the doc. So the town had to seal its gates. One of the men there at the birth, Infected his family. Days went by. People started dying. Turning. Everyone got sick, and they pulled an Infected’s body outa’ their well.”
“Dammit.” Hodges shook his head, choosing to look out at the world passing by through the small, dark glass of the window next to him. “I can’t listen to this.”
“The whole town. The whole fort town. All dead, or turned.” Miranda blinked wildly. “The doc said her goodbyes, then shot herself. That’s what they say. So they went in, days after, and burned it. Burned the whole place to the ground.”
“Miranda, this is not Highspire. This is nothing like that,” Kara told the girl. “I told you, it’s probably a downed electrical wire and they haven’t fixed it yet. If they were attacked, they’d have more pressing business, you know? Clean up comes first.”
“It happened at night, Kara. Red Brethren don’t attack at night. The Wailers got in.” Miranda sounded breathless. She caught herself from coughing and turned away from Kara.
“Not into a fort like that. Never.” Kara corrected her.
“The Wailers can get into any fort,” Miranda said.
“Not a well built one.”
“They could.”
“You've never seen the wall around Paradise,” Kara said. “It's huge. And Blue Lagoon? Well, you know the Wailers can't swim. They won't go near the water. Come on, Miranda. It's okay. You'll see.”
“You say you hate forts. You say they're death traps. I've heard you,” Miranda whispered.
“Yeah. I say a lot of things when I’m in a mood. But Pleasant Tree is fine, you'll see.”
“You're only saying that now. You know it's true.”
“I'm not-”
“Don't lie. Don't lie,” Miranda hissed.
“Shut up, Miranda. Just, shut up,” Hodges muttered.
Miranda went silent, and Kara turned around to face forward. Being rocked by the motions of the Bella as she traveled down the road was a sleepy feeling, bringing Kara back to a place she remembered fondly. Outside, she could see the world through the dim windows.
Right now, it was all still fields of grass and rusted, hollowed out cars left to disintegrate by the sides of the road. The ruins of a farm house far off, the roof caved in. There were few obstacles in the way, but when a car did stray too close to the road, the Bella simply pushed it off and onto the shoulder. While the sound was loud, and startled the guards and dogs, it did little to snap her back to reality as she began to drift off. She saw Ash sitting on the swinging bench next to her, watching her with his sad eyes.
Chapter Five
After many hours, Renshen made a comment that Kara could barely hear. She found herself sitting up from having slumped into the side of the vehicle, near the window. Had she fallen asleep? Kara wasn’t sure, but she knew that Jensen Hooper was presently beside her, and that he was patting her shoulder.
“We’re about ten minutes out. Should probably gear up,” Hooper said.
“Mm. Yeah.” She nodded.
She put her helmet on and joined the other three guards at the back of the Bella. They were getting their arms ready, placing their pistols in the holsters on their belts. Checking the ammo. Grabbing for flashlights and torches, flares. She found herself choosing a sleek pistol from the rack, and she checked to make sure it was fully loaded. Of course, it was. Renshen had packed the Bella up, and he never failed to make sure that the weapons stores were well equipped.
“Fort ahead!” Renshen called back.
She went up front to have a better look.
There it was, Fort Pleasant Tree. There were no breaks in the wall, no billowing clouds of black smoke erupting from inside. Instead, as they approached, the one detail that stood out like a sore thumb, something that grabbed at her insides and pulled hard, was the open gate door. The rover door had been lifted completely.
“Stoppin’ right here,” Renshen stated. He came to a stop, locking the brakes and leaving both hands on the steering wheel for a moment. He turned back to look at Kara. “Front door’s open.”
“But is anybody home?” Hooper asked.
“Why is the gate open?” Kara asked.
“Dunno. ‘Bout to go find out.” Renshen pulled himself from the driver’s seat and Kara moved out of his way. He went back and slapped the control to manually open the Bella’s hatch. With a hiss of hydraulics, the ramp lowered to the cracked road below and the warm air rushed into the cabin. “Com’on, take it easy, take it slow, keep it together.”
Hooper passed by her, taking the lead with Renshen.
Kara, looking through the hard plastic of her helmet, stepped out from the Bella and down to the ground. They’d parked thirty feet or so from the front entrance, and she could see that the walls were untouched, as perfect and smooth as the last time she had seen them. Even the UV lamps were intact, hanging like birds with broken necks when they weren’t in use. She held her pistol, moving alongside Renshen and Hooper as they made their way to the open gate.
“Lookit that,” Hooper stated, looking around. He dropped down to his knee and held his gloved hand out over the countless shoe treads left imprinted on the dusty ground. “A lot of foot prints. Damn mass exodus or something.”
There were foot prints, some with the distinctive hard, straight lines of a jagged boot tread, and others rounded as if the foot were bare. So many footprints. Kara followed them with her eyes. They started within the walls, back where the soft dirt met the grass about thirty feet in, and earth and dust had been dragged along in a direct line through the gate, trailing out onto the cracked asphalt of the road that led up to the door. From there, the footprints faded, disappearing off of the left side of the road into t
he grassy field.
“The whole town go fer’a walk?” Renshen asked.
“Let’s go see,” Hooper said and whistled for the dogs. They came spilling out of the Bella and joined him as he walked through the open front gate.
Miranda, Hodges, and the unknown guard followed up. The dogs began to growl and bark, bristling next to Hooper. He calmed them, held a hand out to command them to stay put while he continued in. The dogs were fixated on something within the walls, and stared from where they stood waiting in the doorway. Their bodies were tense, their posture speaking volumes. They could smell it, and as Kara entered through the gate, Renshen near her side, she could too. The sweet, pungent stink of garbage and blood. The smell of the Infected. There were scattered patches of black bile on the grass and dirt further up, and to the left and right. Bile had been vomited up on the pebbled path that led into and around the town, right in front of them.
Kara swept her gaze across Pleasant Tree. There was no visible damage to any of the houses in her direct line of sight, but every door was wide open. The light poles were standing, the strands of bulbs swaying in the air high above the homes and shacks. Dirt had been kicked up around the pebbled path, grass upended with earthy roots exposed. It was eerily quiet, save for the sound of the creaking doors as they hung loose on their hinges.
“Son of a gun…” Renshen whispered. He was training his gun around, but, during the daylight, Kara knew that it was only from instinct. An Infected wouldn’t come running out right now. They would be crouched inside of the houses, in the shadows, waiting for nightfall. Renshen turned on the UV light at the end of his rifle.
Hooper took a long look, pivoting on his heel as he craned his neck, his rifle at the ready. He stepped forward, right for the grass, pausing to look down at the lone shoe lying there. First, he poked it with his gun. Then, he knelt down on one knee. Picking the shoe up in his gloved hand, he turned it over. It was a man’s sneaker, old, beat up, with dirt caked into the tread. “Peculiar.”
“What’s that, Hoop?” Renshen asked. “Whatcha got?”