“Not the best choice for fighting zombies, but pretty. What did you want to do with them?” Jake asked.
“Don’t know. Figured I’d bring them back with us to Starved Rock, maybe display them, maybe give them to the old men, since they’re pretty much two of a kind as well,.” I said.
Jake snorted. “And how. They’d probably like that.”
“Where’s Kayla?” I asked.
Julia pointed to the station. “She had to use the bathroom. She’ll be along.”
“Gotcha. I’m going to put these away. I’ll see you at the van.” I walked back to the van, and as I got there I thought I heard something. For a minute I thought I was imagining it. But after a second, I heard it again. It was a low, humming noise, like someone was running a small engine far away, maybe on the other side of the mountain. I couldn’t be sure. I shrugged to myself. Maybe I was hearing things.
The trio of delinquents wandered up the path, and I asked them if they heard anything.
“What, like a small engine humming or something like that?” Julia asked?”
“Yes! Just like that.”
“Sure. Heard it twice before you came out of the cabin. Not sure what it could be.”
Jake replied, “Might be some sort of engine, but who knows with these mountains? There’s back roads all over the place, and cabins buried way the hell back in places even zombies won’t go. Remember the old guy Dad talked about when they finished at Denver?”
I nodded at the memory. “Yeah, he talked about how he and his friends weren’t going to come down from the mountain no matter how many zombies wandered around. Maybe it’s them. Well, whatever. Let’s get moving and find a place to stay for the night. It’s getting dark, and all I’m thinking about is a valley full of zombies right now.”
“In that case, I’ll drive,” said Kayla, slipping into the driver’s seat ahead of Jake. Jake scowled but accepted the situation. Kayla was the better driver, after all.
Chapter 24
Back on the road, we surprised ourselves when we saw that there was a resort just up the street from the ranger station. Hatchet Resort sounded like a place that could successfully repel a zombie horde, but a quick drive through the parking lot showed otherwise. The main lodge was destroyed, with doors ripped off and windows smashed in. The other buildings looked the same. Stacks of corpses and skeletons piled up near each entry, and it was obvious that someone had made a stand here before falling. We didn’t bother to check the inside, we knew what it was going to look like. A single car parked in front of the restaurant, oddly out of place.
“May as well check it for gas,” Jake said, leaning over and looking at our gauge. We were still at about a half a tank, so we were good for a bit, but he was right, it wouldn’t hurt.
Kayla stopped, and Julia and I got out. I went over to the car carefully and looked around. It didn’t seem like the owners were still around, and then I saw the back seat.
“Aw, damn,” I said quietly.
Julia looked up from the gas tank. “What?” She looked over at what I was staring at. “Oh, no. The poor thing.”
In a baby carrier in the back seat was a little body. Its face was shrunken, and there were little white flakes of salt from tears that had dried up a long time ago. I carefully took the little one out of the back and brought it over to the small grove of trees. Using my ‘hawk, I dug a small grave and placed the baby in it, saying a small prayer my dad taught me long ago. I placed a stone as a marker, and went back to the car, running into Jake as he came out of the restaurant, his pickaxe in hand.
“Parents are inside, torn to pieces. Must have stopped here for supplies and got caught. Baby must have dehydrated.” Jake’s face was taut. For some reason, he hated to see kids suffering. It sometimes drove him to do reckless things.
“Yeah, too bad,” I said. “But we need to keep moving. Julia, any gas?”
Julia nodded. “Got nearly nine gallons. That should help.”
“Great, let’s get out of here,” I said. I was getting a little worn out from the stress of this trip.
We moved on and followed a swiftly moving river on our north side. It was pretty with the mountain as a backdrop, but the last stop kind of put everyone in a bit of a mood. We needed to find a place to stay, and quickly.
“Kayla, if you find a road with a mailbox, take it, might be a place to spend the night,” I said.
“Will do.”
Julia held my hand. “You okay?”
I shook my head. “Just wondering if I would have made the same mistakes as those parents did, leaving their child to die.”
Julia shook her head. “You know they were trying to escape the mess of the coast and probably wanted to see if there was anything in the restaurant they could feed their child. Probably got surprised, and when one fell, the other fell coming to help. It happens.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” I said. “I guess I should be grateful the child died a better death than being torn apart and eaten.”
“There is that.”
We passed the Grand Teton Park and RV resort, but whoever named that place had a hell of a sense of humor. It was a small gas station with a big parking lot, and a building with a multicolored roof. I didn’t want to even contemplate what we might find in there.
“Pass,” Jake said, and I wholeheartedly agreed.
The sky was getting progressively darker, and I was hoping we didn’t have to spend the night in the van. I had done it before, but I preferred to stretch out, even if it was on the floor of someplace.
The road wound around several bends and across three creeks, and Kayla deftly steered us around several deadfalls and small rockslides.
“Town of Moran, on the right!” Kayla called out suddenly.
“Go for it,” I said. At this point, and the way the sky looked, I was ready to kill for a place to sleep. I could tell Jake was ready, too.
Kayla drove swiftly up the side road and into the small town.
Small was actually generous. The town consisted of eleven buildings, one of which was a school. The others were a post office, a general store, two trailers, and six homes. One of the homes looked to have doubled as a church.
Jake spoke up. “Which one do you like?”
After the third trip around Moran Town road, which just circled the town, I figured one place would do as well as the other.
“Post office. Usually not a choice to make a stand during a panic,” I said. “Especially when there’s a school nearby.”
“Let’s find out,” Jake said.
Kayla parked us next to the building, and we got out quickly, ready for anything. I looked over at the school and other buildings, but I got the feeling this place had been abandoned long before the zombies came roaming through the hills. It made sense. Why stay in a place that literally couldn’t be defended?
Jake went over to the post office and with a bit of work got the door open. Julia and Kayla went inside to see if it was clear while I stayed out to see if our arrival had attracted any attention. Nothing seemed to move, so I waited until the all clear and went inside. Jake moved the van to block the entrance, then joined the rest of us.
The post office was big, much bigger than it should have been, given the size of the town. Julia pointed out that it probably had served as the hub for the entire county, which made sense.
“Dibs on the office,” Jake said, tossing his gear into the small enclosure.
“Have at it,” I said.
Julia explored a bit and came back smiling. “Yes, please have the office. All yours, no argument from us.”
Kayla frowned. “What did you find?”
“Nothing. Go enjoy your office.” Bye now.” Julia grabbed my hand and took me down a back hallway to a small room. Inside, it appeared that the room used to be a break room. There was a couch, a table, several cushions for whatever purpose, and a bathroom.
“I like this better,” I said.
“Good, I’m glad. Now let me cheer you up
.” Julia grabbed me and kissed me fiercely, driving all thoughts of the day out of my head. The cushions on the couch were very comfortable as I sat back heavily with Julia on top of me. Her hands made short work of my gear as weapons and supplies fell to the floor. My shirt went last, and Julia ran her hands up and down my chest. I took my time removing her gear, letting my hands roam gently over her soft curves as I took off her shirt as well.
“I love you, Aaron,” Julia said, staring into my eyes.
“You too, sweetheart. You too.”
Her next moves made me nearly forget we were in a post office in the middle of the mountains in practically the center of zombie-infested territory.
Chapter 25
The next morning I rose up feeling as refreshed as ever. Julia was still sleeping, curled up into a little ball. The morning light drifted through the building windows and cast a sweet glow over her face. Her blonde hair fell in disorganized wisps about her face, and her nose wrinkled at the light. Turning over, she stretched long enough to make a cat jealous, and it was enough to make me join her on the floor.
“Again? I just woke up,” Julia complained as I moved gently against her.
“Good morning, then,” I said as I slowly entered her. She moaned softly in my ear, then wrapped her long legs around me, matching my rhythm with her own. Soon we were gasping again together as we moved faster. Suddenly she arched her back and dug her nails into my sides, sending me over the edge as well.
I breathed heavily into her neck as we came down slowly together. I held her tightly, trying to convey how much I loved her through the strength of my arms. She snuggled in underneath me, content to be held and loved, holding me with her arms and legs.
After a short time of just laying together, I murmured that we needed to get moving. She nodded and got up first, gathering up her clothes and heading to the bathroom. I watched her naked body walk away and almost called her back for a repeat.
I shook my head and got up for the second time, stretching out my back and arms. I got dressed and gathered up my gear, which had been tossed around last night. I was buckling my belt when Julia emerged, looking as beautiful as ever.
“I think some of your gear might have gotten pushed under the couch, but I haven’t looked there yet,” I said.
“I got it,” Julia said, picking up her things as she went. I took my gun out and placed it on the table, checking the chamber and magazines. I checked my ‘hawk and knife, then my pockets on my vest and pants. I liked the cargo pants best because of the pockets, and the vest was a gift from my dad. It had a lot of pockets for just about everything, and fully loaded it could weigh nearly thirty pounds. I didn’t weigh it down that much.
When we were both ready to go, we headed back up the hallway to the office where we had left Jake and Kayla. The room was still closed, so I figured we’d let them sleep a little longer. Passing up to the front counter, I suddenly ducked and dragged Julia down with me.
“Aaron! What…?”
I held up a hand and made a fist, pointing to the front of the office. Julia’s eyes got wide, and she nodded her understanding. Looking up, I saw there were two packages on the counter. I slid one away from the other about an inch and then raised my head until I could see through the gap without having my head seen over the counter.
Outside by the van, three zombies were slowly sniffing around. They put their noses nearly against the handles and sides where we usually rested our hands. They were in rough shape, but there was something different about them. They moved more cautiously and seemed to function as more of a team than just a group of individuals. I had a hunch these three might have been around long enough to have evolved into more successful hunters. If they were more problem solving, then I certainly didn’t want to face them alone, and I surely didn’t want to give them any chance whatsoever.
I ducked back down and faced Julia. “I’m going to go outside and see if I can draw them off or kill them outright. Wake up Jake and Kayla, let them know what’s going on, and then see if it’s okay to come out.”
Julia frowned. “You’re not taking on all three?”
“If I have to, but I’m going to try to string them out and take them one at a time. If they won’t fall for that, then I’ll lead them on a loop and bring them back for you guys to kill,” I said, giving her a quick kiss as I crawled away to the back of the post office, staying out of sight. At the back I quietly opened the door and slipped outside after checking to make sure there weren’t four of the stinkers.
The mountains rose away to the north, and I could hear the river in the background as the world woke up in this part of the country. The sun was illuminating everything with a bright morning light, and I could even hear the occasional call of a hawk as it hunted the high grounds. I drew my sword and slipped quietly around the next building to the front of the post office, skirting the corner wide to keep from being ambushed. My gut told me these guys were going to be trouble, and I wasn’t taking any chances.
I moved out to the street, keeping an eye on the van and the post office. The three were sniffing around the door, trying to find a reason to break in. Hopefully, the rest of the crew was awake and armed by now.
Sometimes I wished I was a bit wittier. Here I was, about to face down three zombies, and instead of coming up with a sarcastic comment to start the ball rolling, all I could think of something stupid.
“Hey!”
The zombies spun around as if they were being pulled on strings, and as soon as they saw me they immediately hissed and moved in my direction. When they had the room, they spread out, with two moving wide and the third coming right down the middle.
Clever, boys. But my daddy taught me a thing or two about your kind. I launched myself into a sprint and charged the one on the left, covering the fifty feet between us in about four seconds. Just as I came within reach, I leapt to the side, swinging my blade as I went. The last eight inches of steel skimmed the top of the ghoul’s outstretched arms, and neatly severed his head from his body. The two parts fell to the ground as I slid to a stop on the gravel. The other two had shifted positions when I had charged, and now they were lined up one behind the other as they faced me. They spread out again as they charged, and I had to smile.
“You boys learned, but you don’t learn fast, do you?” I said, swinging my sword to fling off the zombie goop stuck on it from their companion. I was about to charge when the zombie closest to me suddenly opened his mouth. A spear head sprouted where his tongue would have been, and he tumbled to the ground, dead for good. The other zombie stopped moving to watch the fall of his friend, only to have black fletching replace his right eye. He fell back to the ground as well, and I nodded thanks to the rest of my family that finally woke up.
Kayla walked over to the zombie with the spear in its head and braced her foot on the neck. The spear came out with a squelch that made us both wince.
“Yuck,” she said.
“Nice throw,” I replied. “I didn’t know you had been practicing that,” I complimented.
“Jake thought it would be a good idea. Wasn’t sure I could hit a moving target, though,” Kayla mused thoughtfully.
I declined to respond, and instead went over to the van to clean my blade again. I didn’t recall the last time I had cleaned my weapons so much. Jake yanked his arrow out of the other zombie’s head and looked it over before bringing it to be sterilized as well.
“You know what’s creepy?” Jake asked as he sprayed the arrow with fluid.
“Yes, but I have a feeling you’re going to add to my list,” I said.
“Watch.” Jake held up the arrow, and I could see bits of the zombie’s brain still attached to it. That was creepy, but what was worse was I swear I could see it move.
“Is it moving?” I asked, fascinated.
“Yep. Dad said the virus so infects the brain that it just causes it to move.” Wiggles worse when it burns.” Jake lit the arrow, and I could see as the flames danced along the shaft th
at the burning bits were indeed almost dancing in death.
“Okay. I’m fully creeped out,” I said. “Thanks.”
Jake wiped off the blacked arrow with a different cloth that he threw away, rather than kept. “My pleasure. Can you imagine if the virus didn’t need the brain?”
That thought was unpleasant. “We’d not be able to kill them,” I said.
“Thank god for little miracles,” Jake said.
Chapter 26
We packed up the van and said our farewells to the town of Moran. This time I was driving, and I hoped to make better time than Jake had. I had no complaints against Kayla, but Jake drove like he was blind.
The map indicated I had two choices. I could head north, and skirt the mountains that way, or head south, and accomplish the same goal. Either way the distance was the same, and I wasn’t gaining anything. The mountains weren’t going to move for my convenience. There was a large lake I had to go around to the north, so that decided it for me. We would head south. There the road at least was indicated as going through the mountains and not just around them.
We drove south on 191, at least that was what the signs told me. I thought it weird that several of the signs we passed looked like they had bullet holes in them. There must have been some serious fighting going on around here at one point.
To the right of the van wound the Snake River. I was used to rivers having bluffs and cliffs surround them. I wasn’t used to having rivers that just lay there out in the prairie, wandering around as if there was nothing better to do. The only indication that anything was there was a winding strip of taller grass and the occasional tree.
The scenery stayed pretty much the same for the first twenty miles. There was a small turnout to view a glacier, but since we could see it from the road, there wasn’t a point to stop. I hadn’t seen a glacier before, but I knew what they were.
Generation Dead (Book 3): Beyond The Gates Page 10