The Hunger's Howl

by A. D. Popovich

  “You’re safe now,” he said, rubbing her shoulders. “Look, the fire might attract them, but it’s the smell of blood that gets them maniacal.” He slowly turned her around, facing the carriage. The entire roof was aflame. The woman broke free from his grasp. What the—? She ran into the burning carriage. “That explains it. She’s insane.”

  He tore after her. She flung a mattress through the carriage door, knocking him down. By the time he got to his feet, she was out of the carriage with a bundle of clothing pressed against her chest.

  “Dames,” he croaked. “You could have told me you wanted your things,” he muttered loud enough for her to hear. At least she could communicate; she just chose not to, the shock and horror too much to bear. That he understood. “The sun’s setting. Time to leave,” he said gently. “You’ll have to sit in front of me.”

  She shook her head furiously.

  “More zombs are coming. I’ll get us to safety.”

  The young woman jerked frantically around as if zombs approached from every direction. “Not safe,” she mumbled. He reached for her bundle of things. “No!” Her piercing scream startled his horse.

  “We’re good.” He backed off. “I’m going to lift you onto my horse, but you’ve got to work with me.”

  She nodded.

  “Here we go,” he lifted her small frame. “Straddle the horse. There you go.” It was easier than he thought. “Better hold on tight. I’m not stopping for anything once it’s dark. You ready?” He said firmly.

  She nodded. And they began the journey as the lazy sun dipped behind them. It was going to be a hairy three-hour ride in the dark with zombs on high alert. He clicked on the battery-operated light clipped to his hat. It was dangerous riding at night advertising his presence. But, he was more worried about running into a horde of X-strains than marauders.

  Chapter 30

  “Now what?” Scarlett grumbled from under the sheet. Several times a week someone pounded on the caboose’s door announcing some emergency. The once-deserted settlement was jam-packed with weary refugees. The ones arriving at the trading post in the middle of the night couldn’t always wait until morning for food. Scarlett had intended to put a sign on the door: DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK UNTIL SUNRISE. Naturally, she couldn’t do such a thing to these desperate people. Nevertheless, they needed their sleep. The pounding continued.

  “I got it.” Sheena jumped down from the top bunk. “What up?” Sheena yelled from the closed door while pulling on her pants and boots.

  “Skeeter,” a man shouted from the other side.

  “El jerko doesn’t live here anymore,” Sheena shouted back.

  “I’ve got an injured woman. Need a doctor!” This time there was panic in his voice.

  “Mommy, we have to help her.” Twila yawned.

  Scarlett forced herself out of bed. “Go back to sleep,” Scarlett whispered, eyeing Sheena.

  “Hello?” He sounded irritated. “There might be some trouble?” he hinted.

  On that note, Sheena opened the door a few inches, pointing her cocked gun at the visitor’s head, obviously pissed. “If you want trouble, you came to the right place.” Sheena’s voice was low and steady, playing the tough chick role with ease.

  “Woah, I’m not the trouble,” the man insisted. “Where’s Skeeter?”

  “Dead! Which is what you’ll be,” Sheena fumed.

  “I found a young woman. She’s injured. Is—”

  “How’d you get past the guards?” Sheena interrupted.

  “Got my ways,” the man rattled off.

  It was a familiar tone. Who did he remind her of? Must be someone she’d known before the pandemic, Scarlett thought absentmindedly.

  “Did you hear that?” Sheena turned to Scarlett with eyebrows raised in astonishment. The sound of a baby crying caught them off guard. She kicked open the caboose’s door, ready for action. Sheena didn’t tolerate jerks, thieves, or grifters. “How stupid do you think we are?” Sheena nearly spat.

  Scarlett caught a glimpse of the unshaven man. The crying turned into unmistakable balling. The man’s jaw dropped a foot. He swung around. With her gun tucked in her waistband, Scarlett slipped an oversized jacket over her pajamas and then grabbed her hat. Ironically, she was supposed to be the man of the family. The crying didn’t stop.

  “What the—?” The man gaped.

  “You’re shittin’ me?” Sheena looked from the bearded man to the woman in the long raincoat to the vocal bundle in the woman’s arms and then to Scarlett. “Why didn’t you say you had a baby?” Sheena said incredulously.

  “Honestly, I didn’t know.” He seemed more surprised than they were. “I was riding hard and fast, trying to outrun a horde.” The man turned to the woman. “That explains things. How’re you feeling?” The woman turned away from him. “We need to talk,” he said to Sheena and Scarlett. “First of all, we apparently have a baby. A baby! Do you know what that means?” His voice was filled with wonderment.

  “Trouble,” Sheena answered solemnly.

  Scarlett knew only too well. Keeping Twila hidden had become a rather difficult task, especially with the camp’s increasing population.

  “Look, she needs help. I don’t have time to deal with her. I’ve got to get back to my people.”

  The baby whimpered, and all of them looked around uncomfortably.

  “Come inside before the entire camp hears,” Scarlett said hastily to the woman. Sheena nodded in agreement.

  The young woman turned around and faced them with a blank stare, clinging to the bundle in her arms. She was a mess. Her matted hair stuck to her filthy face. She was in desperate need of a shower.

  “Honey, you need to come inside. If anyone finds out—” Scarlett stopped. Scarlett’s words must have registered. The woman looked around the camp and then climbed into the caboose with the man’s help.

  “Hey, the invite’s not for you,” Sheena warned, leaving him on the caboose’s rail.

  “When’s the last time you nursed your baby?” Scarlett asked.

  Scarlett was engrossed in comforting the woman when she realized the man with the awful beard stared at her rather intently. Too intently. Damn, she hadn’t used her man-voice, and she hadn’t grimed her face with soot. At least the jacket covered her curvy figure, and her hair was braided and coiled under her hat.

  Scarlett cleared her throat harshly, making her voice scratchy and masculine. “What’s your name?” Scarlett bustled about with a pestering déjà vu sensation tickling her superconsciousness. Sheena sat the young woman at the table.

  How awful to have a baby at a time like this? “You need to eat,” Scarlett encouraged, placing a plate of fish and bread on her plate. “How old is your baby?” Phew! She needs a shower.

  “What are you still doing here? We’re closed for business.” Sheena badgered the man standing on the caboose rail.

  “Look, here’s the thing. My caravan was robbed. I need three fresh horses and food, pronto. I was racing here when I happened to find her. I could always count on Skeeter. And since you’re running things . . .” He smiled, putting on the charm.

  “I’m not biting,” Sheena warned with one hand on her hip and one hand waving a gun in his face.

  Scarlett didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Her head buzzed with acknowledgment. Zac! If he recognizes me, it could ruin everything for Twila. Shit. Okay, breathe. Play it cool. He couldn’t have recognized me. Surely, he would have said something. Twila was still under the sheet, but what if she got out of bed? Twila, she yelled silently. Stay in bed. Scarlett’s anxiety had reached a ten on the Richter Scale. Why the paranoia? Zac had seemed like a decent person.

  “I just need horses and enough food for my passengers to make it here. Then I’ll restock before continuing to Immigrant Station. I’ll take the woman and child to Boom Town or Immigrant Station—whatever she wants when I return. Look, it’s not like I’m trying to rip you off. Obviously, you don’t take shit from anyone.”

&n
bsp; Scarlett recognized Mr. Smooth-talker’s exasperated tone. She let out a giggle, which she covered up with a series of coughs.

  “So, you got the moolah to get your people into Last State?” Sheena probed.

  “I know what it takes to get into Last State. I’m a well-seasoned guide with connections in all the right places,” he said, back to his overly confident self.

  “Gold?” Sheena pressed.

  “I’ve been around the block a few times.” He gave his famous I’m-too-sexy grin. “Gold.” He nodded.

  “Is she a Class-Z?” Sheena asked.

  “Didn’t see any bite marks.” He shrugged. “Her clothes were soaked with blood when I found her. I’m assuming she recently gave birth. As for the newborn. Well, I haven't seen any babies since . . .”

  “He’s right. We must take care of her,” Scarlett interrupted, engulfed by a blissful sensation bursting through her heart. A Life Giver! She couldn’t deny the overwhelming urgency to protect the mother and child.

  Zac pulled out two gold bars from his backpack. They glittered in the caboose’s dim light. “I need three rested horses, and I’ll leave you mine. Two bars for the horses and as much food as I can carry on my back. Two more bars when I return to change out the horses and enough food to Immigrant Station.”

  Scarlett met Sheena’s eyes. She wondered why Sheena faltered, not grabbing the deal. Sheena was shrewd, not easily ruled by her emotions, not like Scarlett.

  “You better not die on me. This is no place for a baby. If one of these overzealous cowboys finds out we’re harboring a baby—an actual baby. I mean, who knows how much gold a newborn will fetch in Texas—”

  “Precisely, because they sure in hell aren't having babies in Texas. I know that for damn sure,” Zac finished.

  “And the trouble you mentioned?” Sheena pressed.

  “There’s a new vicious breed of zombs hording. They’re attacking wagon trains. And they’re smart and fast! You might want extra guards.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Sheena said.

  “I could use those horses asap,” he hinted.

  “You’re not waiting until daybreak?” Sheena sounded surprised.

  “Not with hordes and marauders in the area. I need to get back to my caravan.”

  Sheena grabbed the two-way radio she had recently acquired. The head guard had the other one. “Hey, Krasinski, you there?” A brief pause. “Krasinski?”

  “Sorry boss, he slipped me a bag of gold coins,” Krasinski admitted. “Said he was pals with the owner.”

  “Next time warn me, or you’re done here. Give him three fresh horses. On the double.”

  “On it!”

  Zac stepped up the caboose’s steps, handing Sheena two gold bars while eyeing the plate of fish the young woman stared at. “What’s a nice guy like me have to do to get some of that fish?” He flashed one of his irresistible smiles.

  Scarlett tried her hardest not to smile back and handed him a foiled package. “How much do you need?” Scarlett grumbled in her best man’s voice.

  “Enough for nine people for three days.” Zac pulled back the foil and took a bite. “Damn, this is the bomb.”

  “Yeah, well, eat your fish at the corral,” Sheena ordered.

  Scarlett had started saving bundles of smoked fish for their trip to Last State. She calculated one pound a day per person with a little extra and loaded a sandbag. She handed him a sandbag of thirty pounds without saying a word, afraid her voice might give her away.

  “Pleasure doing business.” His eyes lingered on Scarlett a moment too long.

  Scarlett looked away a bit too quickly and fiddled with rearranging the chairs. It would be a tight fit with the woman and the baby.

  Sheena practically slammed the door in his face. “What a player,” she retorted, obviously not worried if he overheard.

  “So, I’m thinking we split the gold fifty-fifty?” Sheena said.

  “Perfect!” Scarlett would be leaving sooner than she thought.

  “I’ll take her to the showers before the camp wakes up,” Sheena said.

  The young woman stared into space, only eating when Scarlett handed her a fork full of fish. “You and your baby need to take a shower,” Scarlett said in her woman voice. The woman gave her an odd look, like she wanted to talk and then changed her mind.

  “If she just gave birth, she really needs to soak in a tub.” An intuitive thought popped into Scarlett’s head. “I’ve got a carton of Epson salt. It might heal any internal wounds.”

  “Good idea. I’ll get one of the big metal tubs I use for the bread dough. You can start heating the water. Back in a sec. Keep an eye on things,” Sheena said with a worried look as she left the caboose.

  After Sheena dropped off the tub, she took the woman and baby to the showers. Scarlett lost herself in worry. A part of her worried Zac had recognized her. Scarlett couldn’t deny her attraction to him. Seeing him again had stimulated thoughts and desires of her dormant sexuality. How odd, Zac showing up—with a child, again. What would the Silver Lady say? Perhaps, it was his Soul Mission to save children. She desperately needed to hear from the Silver Lady, but she hadn’t been able to communicate with her the past few weeks. The constant murmur of everyone’s thoughts blared into her mind, rendering her tone-deaf. Well, it was the best way to describe the barrage of thoughts clogging her consciousness.

  Even Twila hadn’t mentioned the Silver Lady lately, which had Scarlett once again questioning the entire thing. Had her superconsciousness created the fantasy as a coping mechanism? Or perhaps her life as a school teacher was the fantasy. And cannibalistic creatures ravaging the Earth was the norm.

  Scarlett pushed the table against the wall and stacked the chairs, making room for the tub. While the water heated, she rummaged through her clothing for the spare set of overalls for the woman.

  By the time Sheena returned with the freshly showered mother and child, the bath was ready. Scarlett reached for the baby. The woman screamed.

  “Shh, it’s all right. I’ll help you into the tub. You’ll feel much, much better after a relaxing bath,” Scarlett promised. “Where did Zac find you?”

  “Zac?” Sheena eyed her suspiciously. “He never said his name, and I didn’t ask. He definitely looked like trouble.”

  “Uh, we met a year ago or so. Do you think he recognized me?” No matter how much she idolized Sheena, she’d never confess that Zac had given Twila to her.

  Sheena’s eyes narrowed accusingly. “So, you two had a fling?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Thought you were acting squirrelly.”

  “No,” Scarlett said a little too emphatically.

  “So, you do have a thing for him,” Sheena teased.

  “Really, we never had a, a, thing—”

  “But you wanted to.”

  “Uh, maybe just a little.” Scarlett’s skin tingled, thinking about the one-night stand that never was. But it had, over and over—in her daydreams. And now, it was entirely out of the question. She needed to keep her identity unknown.

  “It wouldn’t hurt to live a little. Just don’t let it get personal. And don’t let him weasel anything out of you that you don’t want to give. We’re businesswomen,” Sheena reminded.

  Scarlett brushed her off. “I don’t see anything happening between us. I’d prefer he didn’t know about Twila and me. Besides, he probably doesn’t even remember me.” Scarlett gave the warning look to Twila to keep quiet.

  “Girlfriend, give yourself more credit. You’re not the forgettable type. Hell, even the men around here think you're hot in your funky overalls,” Sheena teased.

  “Great,” Scarlett said.

  “Yeah, don’t bend over is all I’m saying.”

  “What?” Scarlett protested.

  “While you’re helping her with the bath, I’ll check out the perimeter and rag Krasinski’s ass.” Sheena left.

  The woman clutched a blanket around her shoulders while the baby squirmed in her arms. Her wet, shoul
der-length hair matted against her cheeks. Scarlett gently turned her toward the tub. The woman refused to let go of the baby.

  Most of the Epson salt had dissolved. “See, a nice hot bath.” Scarlett took the blanket, leaving her naked except for the rosary around her neck. “Lean on me and lift your leg over the tub.” With Scarlett’s help, the frail woman managed to sit in the tub without dropping her baby.

  Twila sat on the bed and watched in awe, perfectly silent. Scarlett made sure the baby’s head was above the tub’s water line and sprinkled water over the baby. The woman closed her eyes and finally relaxed. “Breathe deeply,” Scarlett coaxed, washing the rosary until revealing the jade-green crucifix under layers of dried blood.

  Scarlett massaged her shoulders, feeling her relax even more. Gently, she re-washed her matted hair and then rinsed it with the kettle’s warm water. It reminded her of the day she had given Twila her first bath. The child had looked like a raggamuffin from the depression era. Hmm. The woman’s rather girlish figure looked more like a teenager’s. Poor thing, to have a child so young. Scarlett moved her chair in front of her and parted her hair, combing it out of her face. The young woman opened her eyes. Big, brown, gorgeous eyes—

  “Are you flippin’ kidding me?” Scarlett stared at her in complete disbelief. The jade rosary, the big, brown eyes, not talking . . .

  “El-la?” she hesitated. “Is that really you?” Impossible. If this was Ella, then who was the baby’s father? And where was Justin? So many questions.

  “Ella, everything’s fine now. You and your baby are safe,” Scarlett sang, turning it into a lullaby.

  While the woman dozed in the tub, Scarlett gently picked up the baby boy, cradling him in her arms. She turned to find Twila smiling bright-eyed. They all enjoyed the moment in silence. She still couldn’t get over the fact she had found Ella. The last time she had seen Ella was the day she had helped Justin and Ella escape from Nate and Paxton, the evil Stockton Boys. When was that? She had lost track of time.