“Nice enough. Any ammo?” I was curious about how it would be effective on a zombie skull.
“Just a box,” Kayla said.
Julia laughed. “How come we keep finding guns in these places?”
Jake took that one. “This is the west. Don’t you remember your history lessons? They all had guns out here even before the zombies came.”
I thought about it. “That might explain why we’re seeing a lot more living people than I thought we would. They might not have seen the apocalypse coming, but they sure could hold their own against it.”
Jake held up the little gun. “Not armed with these, I’ll bet.”
Kayla took it back from him. “Don’t knock it. I’ll bet this gun kills a zombie before we’re finished.”
“It’s a bet,” Jake said. “Can we get out of here?”
“Yep. Let’s finish the gas, Jake. Ladies, you get to figure out where the hell we are and where we are going.”
We pulled out of the station and moved steadily westward. Julia told Jake we were heading towards Idaho Falls, which was a pretty decent sized city. Chances of it still being alive after all of these years was pretty slim, but stranger things have been known to happen, like people rising from the dead.
We followed Route 26 as it ambled along Crow Creek. Here and there we would see homes, but everything had been abandoned long ago. In some cases we could see modest fortifications that tried to stem the tide, but the broken windows and doors usually told the same story. The area was weirdly flat, with just a few foothills in the distances. It was hard to believe we had just come out of the mountains not a few hours ago.
We reached the outer edge of Idaho Falls a little before noon, passing an oddly named place called Beaches Corner. Everywhere we looked it was the same. Old time destruction and desolation. If the rest of Idaho Falls was like this, then it was well and truly gone.
Jake took us through the center of the town, passing numerous cars and abandoned trucks. Every single place we saw had the windows smashed in, and the elements hadn’t been kind. One fast food place had so much mold coming out of it that the black stuff was everywhere the sun couldn’t reach.
At a major intersection, we had to get out and push two cars out of the way, since the overturned truck wasn’t going to move ever again.
Several of the buildings had been burned, and one entire block was completely leveled without any real explanation why. Here and there papers and debris still flew around, and at another spot we had to pull a power line out of the road to get by.
The silence was the weird part. We were used to some sort of hum of human activity, voices, or movement. Places like this that were just dead silent were downright spooky and played hell with the nerves. Dad used to say that during the early years of the Upheaval, every once in a while he would come across someone who survived the zombies, only to go insane from the silence that followed.
Jake kept on driving through, following the rusted signs that said Route 26. Kayla reminded him that at some point we needed to try and cross the river, since we had to keep going that way. Jake nodded and looked at the signs, but they told him nothing. I kept an eye out for any route that would lead us to the water.
On the fifth block in, we got lucky.
Chapter 43
“Turn here! I see the river!” I said, pointing to the right.
Jake braked hard and had to back up, apologizing for the rough ride after Kayla tapped him on the shoulder. We moved westward about a block and found ourselves on a bridge that spanned Crow Creek. At least that what the sign told us. The bridge had been blocked with a huge, fifteen foot pile of gravel, and there were several piles of bones in front of the it, telling us that there might be something to the other side. Jake looked at the rocks, then back at the Jeep. Back to the gravel, then back to the Jeep.
“You’re not serious,” I said, reading his mind.
Jake shrugged. “What are these things for, then? I’ll admit the angle is steep, but it looks like someone else did it, too.” Jake pointed to the twin tracks that led to the top of the gravel pile. “Given that the rocks extend all the way back to the other side, I’d say the top is flat and probably patrolled once in a while.”
“Guys?” Julia asked.
“Maybe,” I said, ignoring her. “What if there’s a dip in the center and we get stuck? What if there’s another barrier on the other side.”
“Guys?”
Jake ignored her as well. “We need to cross this river, and that bridge isn’t going to get us there.” Jake pointed to the larger highway bridge upstream, and from where I stood, I could see that it had been split into two pieces. Not a big opening, but big enough to keep zombies out.
“Guys!” Julia yelled it this time.
“What? Oh. Damn. Right.” My intelligent reply was beat by Jake’s
“Hmm,” he said.
“Looks like you win, Jake. Gravel pile it is.” The girls scrambled to get inside the Jeep and get moving. I grabbed the boards on top of the rack and threw them on the rocks to give us a better chance. The boards fell about halfway up the pile. Beyond that, it was up to the Jeep. Behind us, every zombie that had been hiding had come out, attracted by our noise and movement. There had to be over three hundred of the ghouls shambling their way down the road, moaning and snapping. The entire horde was a nasty shade of dark grey, and the oldest ones were nearly black. Half of them were nearly naked, since their clothes had been rotting off. The rest were just horrid, and while I would have loved to have figured out a way to deal with them all at once, now really wasn’t the time.
Jake put the Jeep into four wheel drive and slowly made his way up the hill, the gravel slipped and slid, but the weight of the vehicle helped us move forward, and we slowly, agonizingly clawed our way to the top. Several landslides and a bucket of sweat later, we angled our way onto the hill. Jake had to focus to get his hands to come unglued from the steering wheel, and my hand was slightly crushed from the grip Julia had on it.
I got out of the Jeep and made my way to the back, cautiously peering over at the huge hoard of zombies making their way to the gravel pile. The first ones to reach it made it up a few steps, then they slipped and fell. The next did the same, so I figured they were going to stay where they were. If I shot some, then that gave them a little higher ground to start from, and I certainly wasn’t going to do that.
Jake and the girls joined me, and we all looked down.
Kayla asked the obvious question. “What if we couldn’t get the Jeep up here?”
Jake shrugged. “We had three choices. Get out and climb ourselves, jump in the water and swim for it, or back up like crazy and try and blast our way through.”
I spoke for us all when I said, “Glad the Jeep made it then.”
We left the horde behind and drove into Idaho Falls, or what was left of it.
On the other side of the gravel pile we carefully drove down and touched real pavement again, much to the relief of the passengers and vehicle. Waiting for us was a small reception committee. We got out and introduced ourselves. The standard line we used was we were from the New Capital, looking to see if there were any survivors on the other side of the Gates. That was technically true, although I didn’t think it would serve any purpose to admit we were originally just wandering about looking at the mountains.
The conversation did turn interesting when we learned that in a town south of here, there was a person who claimed to have been at Enterprise. I took Jake aside for a conversation, and he was of the same mind that we needed to speak to that person. If for no other reason than to determine if it was even worth going on or just going home.
We bought some supplies and traded information, and the people of Idaho Falls then fired up two bladed tractors and went to the gravel barrier. They scraped off a good amount from the top, and dumped in on the zombies that were trying to still climb up. Probably fifty zombies were buried in that maneuver, and another thirty were trapped from the waist up
. The bulldozers went back for another run, and wiped out another fifty zombies. I had to admit that was far better than anything we could have dreamed up.
Chapter 44
We headed to Jerome, taking the caution of the north road, and avoiding the towns to the south. Blackfoot, Pocatello, Burley, and Twin Falls were all dead and gone.
The road was open and free of problems, and Kayla was able to make pretty good time. Idaho Falls and Jerome did a lot of trade back and forth, so the two towns kept the route open, even during the winter. US 20 was a lonely road, and there wasn’t much to see. The grass was nice, but the low clouds kind of put a damper on conversation. Every once in a while I caught Julia looking at my wound and give a little shudder. I knew what she was thinking. Just a little more to the right and I’d have been dead on that lobby floor.
Off in the distance, I could see the beginnings of the mountains again, but they never seemed to get any closer. In all honesty, this area of Idaho was flatter and duller than driving through the old cornfields of Illinois.
“Think this trip has been worth it so far?” Jake asked suddenly, breaking everyone out of their contemplations, which was probably his intent.
Julia fielded this one. “We’ve seen several communities that have survived and thrived despite being cut off from the rest of the country. They used the terrain and kept themselves alive. I’d say knowing that alone would be cause for President Jackson to take down the gates, push back on the zombies, and maybe see if there was anything left of the West Coast.”
I nodded. “It’s been a long time since the Upheaval, and there’s probably a lot of people still alive in the remote areas of the northwest.”
Kayla agreed. “Might be good for people here to realize they aren’t by themselves, and give their kids a better chance.”
Jake nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. Once we find out what’s going on at Enterprise that’s worth killing over, should we keep going north?”
I shook my head at that one. “We’ve been on the road for a while, and have a ways to go yet, not counting the trip back. If we’re lucky, we’ll get out before the snows keep us here for a few extra months. I say we figure this one out, head back, report, and let another scout take care of the territory over the hills. I’d like to settle into some comfortable married life for a while.”
I got unanimous agreement from Kayla and Julia, so Jake conceded the point. That was when we drove past a national preserve called Craters of the Moon. It was a low grouping of hills that looked like the moon, appropriately. It was pretty cool, and the sun broke free at that time as well, casting some great shadows along the ridges and slopes.
We began to see civilization again, and it was a welcome relief. Several farms which were obviously still alive and kicking flanked the road we were taking. I threw a wave to small boy who played out in a small fenced area near his house. The zombies were still a threat here, but not as much. Several cows lined the fences, watching the big black Jeep go by with bovine patience. I would have thought this place had emerged unscathed from the Upheaval, but then we passed the cemetery.
The original cemetery was a nice, tree-lined affair, but towards the back there was a large mass grave. About one hundred small white crosses decorated the front of the mound, and I could see small lettering on each one.
The town of Shoshone was quiet, likely owing to the coming evening. Most of the town looked neat and tidy, but I could see where there had been some trouble. We passed through, going by other cars that were on the road, and in all likelihood, we didn’t seem out of place. I saw two other Jeeps that looked like ours, and one that was identical. I looked at Jake and he made a note in a small notebook that he kept for when we reported back to the Capital.
The drive out of Shoshone was uneventful, and we even saw a few cars ahead of us travelling in the same direction. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought we were in the plains, riding through Kansas.
When we reached the outskirts of Jerome, I could tell things were a little different. There were huge farms all around and several cattle ranches. We passed reservoirs of water and two windmills farms. Jerome was very self-sufficient, at least from the outside. What it might be on the inside was anybody’s guess.
About a mile outside of town, we passed over what looked like a huge ditch. It went off in both directions, and the bridge we crossed didn’t look like it had been there as long as others. As a matter of fact, it reminded me of the ditch that Uncle Charlie had dug a long time ago around what was now the capital. This one was huge, going down ten feet and being at least twelve feet across. The dirt from the excavation was piled on the town side, increasing the height of the ditch wall on that side to at least fifteen feet. The whole thing was grassed over, and a small stream of water flowed along the bottom.
Chapter 45
Inside the barrier was a big, thriving community. Down the streets we passed, children played outside and neighbors talked outdoors. In every home there was at least one light on, although we didn’t see too many with more than one. I guess the windmills could only provide so much power.
In the town, tree-lined streets gave way to small businesses and shops, with a few being boarded up and idle. Others were centers of activity, like the bar and the local cafes.
Kayla pulled into a small place called the Holiday Motel, and no one objected. The sun was nearly set, and I was actually feeling very hungry. I told Julia to take my bandage off, since I didn’t want to attract too much attention.
Jake looked around and decided it would be a better idea to reduce the armament a bit, so we left our guns in the Jeep as we headed over to the office to see about a couple of rooms.
In the office, a short, bald man sat behind a desk reading a thick book. He looked up and smiled as the four of us suddenly crowded his small space.
“Well, howdy!” he said, standing up, dropping his book on the chair. “Visitors? How can I help you?”
Jake answered, since he was closest. “We need two rooms for the night, and a suggestion on a good place to eat.”
“Fine, fine. Just fill out this form, and we’ll get you set up right away.” The man bustled a bit around the desk and produced two small cards. Jake pushed one over to me and I filled out the name and home city parts, not being entirely sure what to put for ‘occupation.’
“All right, Mr. Talon and… Mr. Talon. We have rooms 206 and 208, top of the stairs outside the office; head right and you’ll see they are right about in the center.” The man beamed and placed his hands on the counter, likely happy to have some customers.
“Thanks,” Jake said. “About that place to eat?”
“Oh!” The man slapped his bald head. “Sorry, I’m so forgetful. Across the street, at the Choate Family Diner. Good place, just avoid the biscuits.” He smiled and laughed softly at his own joke.
I nodded, and we headed out the door, eager to unpack and unwind. As we left the office, I looked back at the man as he went back to his chair. On the back of his skull, four white scars ran a ragged race from the top of his left ear to beneath his collar. If I had to guess, our beaming host had seen some zombie action up close and personal.
We took our belongings out of the Jeep and brought them to our rooms. I wanted to rearrange things to make the Jeep more comfortable. The front seats were fine, but the back seat tended to share with supplies. After a good hour of reorganizing and repacking, we all were in a decent hunger for dinner. Taking the advice of the motel owner, we walked across the street to the Choate Family Diner.
The building was long and single storied, and as we entered, I could hear loud laughter coming from within. Kayla walked in first, followed by Jake, then Julia, and then myself. We liked to enter buildings that way, although we traded off which of the women went first. Jake’s reasoning was the women distracted, allowing the men to walk almost unnoticed. I thought it was silly at first, but Jake was able to carry a lot of weaponry without notice when we did that.
As
expected, the girls caused a stir. The place had a few patrons in the eating area, and several more in the bar area. The two were separated by a low wall that ran from the front of the building to the back wall of the bar. One of the men at the bar started to whistle in appreciation, but swallowed it when I entered.
After the fight with Ben and his followers, my father and my Uncle Charlie took a focused interest in my training. My father thought I could use a few more lessons in marksmanship, and my uncle felt I was a little puny to be defending and marrying his daughter. To that end, I found myself in a month’s training with my Uncle Charlie, lifting and fighting. My father showed me the finer points of shooting, and my Uncle Duncan tutored me in swordmanship. Even my marriage didn’t stop the training, and my Uncles weren’t satisfied until I had put on an additional twenty-five pounds of muscle. My shoulders, which were broad to begin with, were now broader with muscle. My arms and hands were stronger than ever, useful themselves as weapons.
I looked around the room, catching the eye of a large man at the bar. I held it for a second, then followed my wife as we sat at a table. Jake, of course, took the seat facing the door, and while he was not as large as I was, there was something about the way he carried himself that caused men to second guess themselves when they considered facing him. While I was lifting, Jake was practicing his speed. He was strong, make no mistake, but even our father said Jake had the fastest hands he had ever seen.
Generation Dead (Book 3): Beyond The Gates Page 16